


Teal and Prussian Blue: Youth Shelter

by SteelDollS



Series: Teal and Prussian Blue [1]
Category: Vocaloid
Genre: Age Difference, Anxiety Attacks, Blood and Violence, Condoms, Consensual, Cooking and Cleaning, Crying, Dreams, F/M, Female Masturbation, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gangs, Girl Gangs, Het, Homeless Shelter, Homelessness, Kaito is a Good Guy, Kissing, Libraries, Literal Sleeping Together, MikuKai, Milkshakes, Oversized Nightshirts, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Response to a Request, Salvation Army, Sexual Content, Showers, Soup Kitchens, Temporary Shelters, Vaginal Sex, Vanilla, dumb jokes, dumpster diving, friendly teasing, lame ending, volunteering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-01
Updated: 2015-11-01
Packaged: 2018-04-29 09:40:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5123081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SteelDollS/pseuds/SteelDollS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ported from ffn, originally published June 30.</p><p>Miku x Kaito. Kaito, a volunteer worker at a local shelter/soup kitchen, literally bumps into a girl one day while walking home from the grocery store. A response to a reader request. Warnings: Violence, fluff, girl gangs, vanilla, sexual content.</p><p>And more fluff .-. This is out of my comfort zone, reader who requested it. D:</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Kaito peered over the top of the paper bag that held his groceries as he carefully walked down the street back towards his apartment building. He stopped at the crosswalk, waiting for the blinking light to turn green and signal that it was safe for him to walk.

"Oof!" Kaito grunted as something barreled into him, knocking him on his ass and making his bag fall to the wayside. A pair of long, teal-colored pigtails met his eyes as he looked downwards as the warm, somewhat heavy person who was sprawled uncomfortably on top of him.

Sharp, teal eyes lifted up to stare challengingly at his face, and Kaito's darker, wide blue eyes returned the gaze. The girl who stared back at him was young, probably still only a teenager, but she had a hard look to her face that had nothing to do with the gentle, girlish curve of her feminine jaw.

One small hand pushed against Kaito's chest and she stood up, looking around herself quickly, not even offering an apology or a hand up as Kaito gaped up at her, trying to gather his wits back about him. He opened his mouth to say something, he wasn't sure what.

The girl whipped her head back around and gave him a glare, then ran away, across the street. The sound of horns blaring from the angry traffic were accompanied by a softer voice yelling from down the street. Kaito watched the girl's back as she disappeared around the corner across the street.

"Hey! Girl! You come back here!" A man was running after the girl, yelling, but when he reached the crosswalk, he stopped, panting, hands on his thighs as he regained his breath. "Tch!" He cursed softly, realizing that he had lost her. The stranger shook his head in anger, and ignored Kaito too, stepping rudely around the bluenette's shopping bag that had spilled groceries out.

Kaito watched in silence as the stranger stalked away, feeling a sweatdrop form on the side of his head. What was all that about? He shook his own blue-haired head and reached towards his groceries. Kaito groaned, irritated now, as he realized that the bag had ripped right down the side when it hit the road.

"It's never boring, is it?" He muttered to himself quietly as he tried to juggle the items, sans a bag, in his two arms. "Maybe I should invest in a canvas shopping bag for the next time."

Kaito's eyes followed where the teal-haired girl had run, but the girl didn't reappear as Kaito finally gathered himself and his groceries. The crosswalk light switched green, and Kaito resumed his walk back home.

...

"Looks like a long line tonight," Len mentioned offhand to Kaito as they set up for dinner. The line worked production-style, with one volunteer at each station, to hand out either entree, vegetables, or soup, with one more volunteer at the end of the line to keep a count of how many mouths the kitchen was feeding today.

Most of the people who came to the line for a free meal were either down on their luck or homeless. Some, Kaito suspected, were runaways. It was a good city to be in, for those people. Many of the other nearby cities didn't have a setup like Kaito's did; where there was not only an overnight shelter available for the needy, but also a soup kitchen attached to the shelter. Still, there were never enough beds, and the dinner line seemed like it got longer every night.

Kaito had started volunteering at the soup kitchen portion of the shelter years ago, while he was still in high school. It wasn't because he was trying to be a good person. If he was honest with himself, it was because he enjoyed interacting with the faces that came to his line. He would have expected bitterness from many of the folks he interacted with, but instead he got friendly, grateful smiles as he handed food back over to them.

It felt encouraging to Kaito to see the strength of peoples' spirits, even when they were obviously faced with difficult times. Kaito admitted, more than he necessarily wanted to, that he felt inspired by that strong determination of spirit. By the unspoken words: 'We will not be broken.' It lifted his heart to see.

Kaito's eyes traveled down the long line of people, and frowned back at Len, agreeing. "It's because of those layoffs that happened recently. If our businesses keep losing their workers, we're only going to see that line grow even longer in the future."

Len grunted his response, nodding his head and focusing on setting the hot pan of food into its slot in the heated table. "The thing that really gets me is when there's new faces that bring kids with them. That's gotta be the most rough." Len glanced back up at Kaito, and sighed. "And it drives me nuts when those guys who don't know anything act all judgmental. Like, have they ever been through a difficult time once in their lives?"

Kaito smiled, a little sadly. He knew why Len was going off onto a rant. He'd heard himself just a few days ago that the soup kitchen and shelter's funding was being cut. Yet again. The city saw their badly-needed services as just an eyesore. As if, if there wasn't a soup kitchen or shelter, all these peoples' problems would just somehow go away, to a place where the city council didn't have to look at them or think about them anymore.

"The real world doesn't work that way," Kaito murmured, almost more to himself than to Len. The blonde laughed a little bitterly.

"Well, maybe it should," Len said, begrudgingly towards the city's council. "If they lived like these guys did for even a day, they'd be crying to go back home to their mothers. No freaking compassion or empathy, not a single one of them. But the crappy part is they'll probably never even have the chance to learn it, either."

Exhaling a loud, frustrated breath, Len finished setting up his area, and stretched his arms high over his head. Kaito quietly returned his attention to his own area. It was almost time for dinner.

...

The line ran smoothly, like its norm. It was indeed rare for the guests at the soup kitchen to be anything other than polite and kind to the volunteers there; even on their worst days... and who doesn't have those..? the people who were in bad moods were generally just quiet or withdrawn. Everyone who came wanted to be here, so random bouts of violence pretty much just never happened.

Kaito got into his usual rhythm of doling out the predetermined quantity of food onto each tray that passed in front of him, giving a friendly smile or word of greeting back to the guests who interacted with him. When the boss wasn't looking, Kaito sometimes snuck a larger portion onto the plates of the people who he knew really appreciated the extra food. When they noticed and smiled at him, he winked a little bit, as if sharing the secret, which always drew an even bigger smile, and sometimes a quiet, pleased laugh.

When the last person had been served, if there was still food left over, the volunteers were allowed to have a serving for themselves. Len, Kaito, and two of the other volunteers served plates for themselves, grabbed a few folding chairs, and sat down at the only empty table; the one reserved for the volunteer staff.

"Good thing the cook made an extra portion of the entree. We almost ran out tonight," One of the volunteers, a girl with pink corkscrew pigtails said, as she plopped down next to Kaito in her own seat.

"Yeah," Len added to the conversation, "Kaito and I were just talking about how the line's been growing bigger lately."

Kaito tuned out the conversation as it started to turn into a bitchfest about the city council. He already knew everything that his coworkers wanted to say about it, because he felt the same way himself. Instead, he found his mind drifting back to that teal-haired girl who had knocked him down in the street. He wondered if she was okay. Wondered if he might even see her in his line tonight, but of course she didn't appear.

Wondered who that guy who had been chasing her had been. From his angry expression at losing her the other day, Kaito didn't think whoever he was had been the girl's friend. Kaito sighed a little and poked at his food.

"Hey, don't waste that. Are you gonna eat it, or what?" A voice scolded Kaito mildly, and Kaito looked up into a face that was giving him a raised eyebrow, and he blushed a little bit.

"Heh... don't worry, I'm eating," Kaito replied to the short-haired brunette and gave a little smile.

"Make sure you do. You're already too skinny," She replied to him teasingly, smiling easily back. "Do I need to beat you to get you to take care of yourself? Maybe you need my gentle mothering touch."

Kaito laughed out loud at that, and grinned wide. "Your idea of a gentle, motherly touch is kicking somebody's butt, Meiko. It's hard to be feminine with a beer can in one hand and asskicking boots on your feet, you know."

The brunette laughed in sheer entertainment and the rest of the table joined her. Len slapped his hand against his own thigh from his mirth.

"Hearing /you/ say 'asskicking boots,' Kaito... I..." Len cracked up further, almost helplessly. "Oh, man... that's priceless!"

"Our little Kaito is growing up," The pink-haired girl grinned widely, and wiped a pretend tear from her eye. "Next thing you know, he'll be wearing grunge and spitting chewing tobacco!"

Kaito blanched, "Uh, no thanks, but thanks." He gave another small smile to ease the sting of his words.

"Eww, Teto!" Meiko scolded the younger woman and slapped her on the shoulder. "Don't encourage bad habits!"

"Owww!" The pink-haired girl whined and rubbed her shoulder. "You're a brute! My poor, delicate, maiden flesh!"

Len's loud, vibrant laughter rang through the room, and some of the guests raised their heads to look over at the volunteer staff table, grinning to themselves. Their volunteers were at it again.

Kaito shook his head and tucked back into his food, blue eyes raising every now and again to pay attention to the friendly banter between his coworkers. They were goofballs, but good people. The world needed more guys like them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now with spellcheck! **jazzhands**

"Have a good night, Kaito!" Meiko smiled and waved as she disappeared out the door. Kaito waved back, then turned his attention to finishing sweeping the last part of his section of the floor before dumping the dustbin into the garbage can. He took off his apron, gave the place one final glance around, to make sure nothing had been missed, and gave the boss a quick goodnight.

Walking out into the fresh air of the night, Kaito stretched his arms over his head and stopped short. A pair of familiar teal twintails stood right in front of him. The tense, uncomfortable expression on the younger girl's face was accompanied by an equally uncomfortable body language, as she held one of her upper arms with her other hand.

"H-hi?" Kaito asked, wondering if she was going to bowl him over again. Kaito took in the girl's appearance in a little more detail as she stood, unmoving, in front of him. Though her face was round and feminine, she was clearly very thin. Her long, teal hair looked a little stiff. Her clothes were the same as the ones she had been wearing before, and Kaito's eyes picked out their rumpled look this time. Her teal eyes were sharp, guarded, and... anxious?

"Uh," The girl replied. "I heard from somebody that you could come to a place around here that has... food."

Kaito's blue eyes widened. He tried to ignore the little pain in his heart at hearing the softness in the girl's previously sharp voice.

"Y-yeah, actually. The kitchen is right behind there, but," Kaito pointed to where he had come out of, "We finished serving for the night a little while ago. I, um, volunteer there, some nights."

It wasn't obvious if he wasn't looking for it, but the girl's face crumbled a little bit at that piece of news. "Oh." She struggled for a minute, then asked weakly, "Do you know when they serve food next? And, um, do you have to tell them... who you are?" Sharp teal eyes turned to the ground. She was obviously devastated.

"We open at 5 o'clock every night but Sunday," Kaito offered up, his heart growing tighter at the change in the girl's attitude from his last interaction with her. Kaito wondered if she recognized him as the guy she had knocked down in the street. "And it's open to anybody who comes. You don't have to tell anybody who you are if you don't want to... Um..."

The girl glanced back up, her face unreadable. Kaito sweatdropped.

"There's a burger place not too far from here. I was thinking of maybe getting something there. Do, uh, you want to join me? I'll get you a burger, too, if you want," Kaito offered very awkwardly. "You're hungry?"

The teal eyes flashed for a moment, and Kaito smiled a little. "I'm not a charity case!" The girl snapped, but after a moment she stared back at the ground, angry at herself.

"O-of course! I uh, just, thought I'd offer. You know, because, I'm hungry myself, and it's nicer to eat with someone else. You know?" Kaito tried an encouraging smile as he lied through his teeth. His dinner was already sitting very comfortably in his full stomach.

The teal-haired girl pursed her lips, as if looking for an excuse that would make accepting this stranger's kindness okay. "So... I'd be doing it for you, really. Are you like, lonely or something? You're not a creep, are you?" Those sharp eyes gave him a judging look, and Kaito's sweatdrop returned with a vengeance.

Kaito held his hands out in front of him. "No, nothing like that!"

The girl regarded him for a long, hard moment, then a small smile graced her cute face. Kaito's eyes widened a little bit; with that smile, the girl's face transformed. His own smile returned, and the two shared an amiable, quiet moment together.

"Okay, but you have to pay," the girl finally accepted, a little ungracefully. "I don't have any money."

Kaito nodded, wondering if he should offer his arm out for her. But the girl turned and started walking in the correct direction for the burger joint, not waiting to see if he was following. Kaito jogged a few paces to catch up.

"I'm Kaito," Kaito offered into the companionable silence as they continued to walk, the sounds of traffic vague around them. The teal-haired girl was quiet for a long moment, as if deciding whether or not to trust the bluenette with her own name.

"...I'm Miku," She finally replied. "Kaito's kind of an unusual name, isn't it? I've never heard of anyone with that name before."

Kaito laughed a little, scratching his head. "Well, not really. Miku is probably more rare than Kaito is, anyways!"

Miku smiled her small smile again, and Kaito's face broke into a sunny grin. The girl was kind of cute when she smiled.

"So," Kaito looked for another topic of conversation, "Do, um, you have a place to stay tonight?"

Miku's head shot up at that and she stopped short, staring hard at Kaito, an untrusting expression on her face. "Why?"

"Oh! I just, it's that, the place we came from, you know, if you didn't have a place, it also has a shelter program. I mean, it's not luxury, but they have beds and I... just wondered," Kaito trailed off, nervous that he had overstepped his boundaries and made Miku angry.

Miku's teal eyes widened a little, and her mouth opened slightly. Suddenly she smiled big, her eyes closing for a brief moment as the expression blossomed on her face. Kaito's own eyes widened further at the sight, and his face softened from anxiety to pleasure.

"No... I don't. Thanks, I didn't know that. Is there anything special you have to do to stay there?" Miku's cold attitude changed instantly into one of warmth.

Kaito fought a sudden, unexpected feeling of blushing. He shook his head.

"No, they might ask you whether you're from this county or another county, but you don't have to identify yourself or anything. It's open to pretty much everyone, as long as the beds aren't full for the night yet."

Miku nodded, and her eyes lit up as the sight of the burger joint came into view. Kaito noticed her deep interest and quickened pace, and lengthened his own strides to match hers.


	3. Chapter 3

Despite his stomach's comfortable fullness, Kaito's mouth salivated just a little bit as his eyes skimmed past, and returned instantly to rest on the menu item, "Milkshake" at the burger joint. Miku was looking sideways at him as his mouth opened just slightly, and followed his gaze to the menu board. Her soft laughter jolted him from his reverie and he looked over at her, then blushed as he realized he'd been caught.

"So, uh, want a milkshake, too? With your burger?" Kaito hoped he didn't sound too obvious. Miku grinned at him, shook her head.

"Yeah, if it's okay. You're getting one, too, right?" The teal-haired girl teased gently. Kaito grinned back, a little flush still on his cheeks.

"I was thinking a vanilla milkshake would be good," Kaito offered up a little sheepishly through his smile. "And maybe a burger and... some fries to share?" His eyes picked out how thin Miku was again, and tried to be a little less obvious about it than he had been about the milkshake thing.

Miku nodded and smiled.

"Can I take your order?" The employee at the counter asked as they stepped forwards. Kaito opened his mouth to speak.

"We'll have two vanilla milkshakes, two cheeseburgers, and a large order of fries, please," Miku spoke up. Kaito blinked, startled, and closed his mouth silently as she turned and gestured her head to him. "Pay up, Kaito."

Kaito sweatdropped as the woman at the counter gave him a little grin, but handed over the money.

"It'll be out in a few minutes. If you want to grab a table, I'll have someone bring it to you," The employee offered, her grin lingering. Kaito smiled a little awkwardly back as Miku nodded.

"That'd be good, thanks," The teal-haired girl checked the employee's name badge, "..Neru."

Kaito scanned the room. It wasn't too busy, and there were a lot of tables open. His eyes picked out a high table and he pointed to it. "Want to sit there?"

Miku followed his finger and frowned, shook her head, quietly. "No, I want to be able to see out the window. ...And see the door. That ok?"

Kaito blinked. "Um, sure."

They picked out another table, and Miku took the seat facing the door without preamble. Kaito slid himself in and drummed his fingers rhythmically on the table in the not-quite-awkward silence that followed.

"So, um, are you new? To the city, I mean?" Kaito offered up, trying to strike up a conversation to fill the void. He knew he had chosen wrong when Miku tensed up in her seat, and avoided her sharp teal eyes with a slight frown. "Oh, I- if that's too personal, I... you don't have to answer."

Miku was silent a long moment, then nodded her head. "I don't really want to talk about it," was all she quietly responded with. After another long moment, looking like she was remembering something unpleasant, she returned her eyes to Kaito a little curiously. "So, you work at the kitchen?"

Kaito sighed in relief, and smiled. "Yeah, it's a pretty nice place. The people who go there are nice, anyways. I've volunteered there for a few years, now."

Miku nodded. "You were telling me before, that they also have some beds there? Uh, do they have... like, showers? Too?" Her voice sounded a little too eager for that reply, and Kaito's heart sank a little bit.

"No, they're just an overnight shelter. They have a bathroom, but, not a shower. And their bathroom doesn't lock," Kaito admitted. Miku's hopeful expression was dashed, but she shook herself off quickly. Kaito continued, "Oh! But, the Salvation Army offers showers twice a week. Somebody told me about that. They offer free food there too, but you have to provide proof of income." Kaito trailed off.

Miku's expression perked back up at the new information. "Really? What days?"

Kaito sweatdropped again. "Uh, well, today was one day. So it'll be a few more days until they're offering showers again. And you have to bring your own toiletries... of course." Kaito's eyes looked at the stiffness of Miku's hair and her returning, frowning expression.

"I, uh, have a shower at my apartment," Kaito offered without thinking too much about it. "It's not much, but-"

Miku's expression tightened severely, and she stared Kaito down, looking suddenly like she was about to run out the door. Kaito stopped with his mouth hanging open mid-sentence. Once he realized it, he quickly closed his mouth to stop from looking like a fish out of water.

"Are you trying to trick me?" Miku's low voice asked. Her eyes were narrow, her shoulders were tense. "Are you trying to get me alone? Is that why you asked me if I wanted something to eat here?"

Kaito shook his head, his own eyes widening greatly. "N-no, no- it's not like that! You've got me all wrong. ..I... just forget I offered, okay? I-I didn't... I mean, I'm not like that kind of a guy."

Miku's narrowed eyes regarded Kaito with what he could only call the worst case of fisheye he had ever been given. Kaito held his breath for a long, long moment, wide-eyed. Miku relaxed a little after a moment, apparently coming to a conclusion about the nervous blue-haired man in front of her.

"...Fine," Miku said finally. She slammed her elbow onto the table. Kaito blinked again, very confused. He pulled back a little and regarded her, a question in his eyes. "Let's say I believe you. Arm-wrestle me for it. If you win, I'll take a shower at your place. If you lose, you pay for my meal to go and don't ask me to come over again."

Kaito sweatdropped. "You want me to arm-wrestle you?" He asked dubiously, looking at her hand, all ready to go. Wait, why if HE won would she agree to take a shower at his place? Was it his prize? Kaito's sweatdrop grew larger. "I... jeez, okay, if that's... what you want."

Kaito felt kind of like a fool as he put his own arm out onto the table and wrapped his fingers around Miku's more delicate ones. The teal-haired girl stared him down as she clasped Kaito's hand. It felt warm.

"On three?" Kaito asked, feeling rather foolish. 'Do I /want/ to win?' He asked himself briefly, then shook his head slightly to himself. 'It'd be better to lose, wouldn't it? She's not comfortable. I don't want to pressure her. And it's just a shower.' His decision made, Kaito held Miku's hand a little tighter, and prepared to lose.

"One, two... three," Miku announced and pushed against Kaito's hand. Kaito's eyes widened as there was more strength in Miku's push than he expected a teenaged girl would be likely to have. Kaito gave a good show, struggling against Miku for a brief moment before suffering an embarrassing defeat.

Kaito expected Miku to grin triumphantly up at him, but instead she regarded him very quietly, as if judging. Finally she offered up a soft little smile, and Kaito felt his heart ache a little at it.

"Alright then," Miku replied quietly. "After we eat, I'll use your shower. You better have some good shampoo, though. And conditioner." She turned her eyes towards the front of the restaurant, as if to look out for their burgers.

Kaito blinked. "But, I lost?"

Miku shook her head and didn't return Kaito's gaze for a moment. "Yeah... well, it was a trick. I wanted to see if you were going to use force to try to get me to come with you."

Kaito gaped at her. This girl was full of surprises, and clearly was nobody's fool. He grinned at Miku after a moment. "So did I pass?"

"Well, that depends on if those burgers taste as good as they look," Miku replied somewhat grandly, as a woman holding a tray with burgers, fries, and two beautiful milkshakes approached their table.

Kaito's grin widened. 'Oh, /yeah./'


	4. Chapter 4

The walk back to Kaito's apartment was relatively quiet but amiable. Miku walked beside Kaito instead of leading the way this time. Kaito stole furtive glances at the younger woman as they walked.

"It's this building here," Kaito announced as they approached it. He stole another look at Miku, wondering how she judged the outside of the building. It wasn't new by any means, but was a sound and stable building, with only a little graffiti pasted on the brick outside. "It's nothing fancy, and there's a bit of a climb. The third floor apartments are cheaper, but there's no elevator, I'm sorry."

Miku shook her head, and her face was soft as she looked up at the building. "No, it's okay. It... looks nice," she finished quietly with a light edge of hunger to it that Kaito guessed had nothing to do with the meal they had just finished.

Kaito groaned to himself as his too-full stomach complained about the stairs. Miku followed closely, keeping her sharp eyes out for anyone else coming or going from the building or in the stairwell. Kaito wondered offhand why she felt the need to be so on guard, but figured she had her own reasons. The graffiti aside, the apartment /was/ in a pretty good area of town, without too much crime, so there was that going for it.

Kaito jingled his keys by accident as he went to unlock his door. He paused, looking guiltily over at Miku, suddenly remembering, "Uh... it's... kind of messy in here. Sorry, in advance."

Miku grinned at that, the nervousness in her body relaxing for a brief moment. "Hey, don't worry. It's probably not as bad as you think..."

Kaito started to smile a little, hopefully, until Miku finished her statement, "...It's probably /much/ worse." Kaito's appalled look made the teal-haired girl laugh, and Kaito felt comforted, despite the comment that prefaced it.

The apartment was small; not much more than a bedroom with a kitchenette and a tiny bathroom off it it. Miku's curious eyes took it in over Kaito's shoulder as the bluenette opened the door.

Kaito rushed into the room, his expression blanching as he quickly tried to move a pile of dirty clothes from the floor into a hamper near his bed before Miku could notice it and disapprove. Miku grinned a little despite herself at his self-consciousness, relaxing a little more at the fact that Kaito obviously cared enough about her opinion to try to last-minute clean... even though it was waaay too late for that.

Kaito's eyes caught on an ice cream wrapper that also hadn't made its way quite into its destination of the trash can, and grabbed it quickly. He gave an awkward little smile to Miku as if to say, 'You didn't see that, either, right?' and Miku grinned back at him, amused.

"It's actually pretty nice in here. From what you said earlier I was thinking it would be towering piles of unwashed dishes all over the place," Miku commented, and raised her eyebrows curiously as Kaito blanched again, then flushed.

"Uh... yeah... well, maybe you should, uh... stay out of the kitchen?" Kaito offered weakly. Miku's curiosity raised, she boldly craned her neck to see into the forbidden room. Kaito's appalled cry and not-quite-fast-enough movement to stop her was ignored and Miku walked into the kitchen.

"Pfft," Miku giggled to herself, rolling her eyes upwards. There were, indeed, dirty dishes in the sink. She looked over at Kaito again, who slunk into the kitchen after her.

"Well, I just, uh, you know, it was busy this morning. And maybe... kind of last night, too," Kaito offered up lamely by way of an apology. "I'll wash them up right now. I'm sorry."

Miku shook her head, "It's okay. Actually, I can wash them. Since I'm going to use your shower, it's the least I can do. I don't like to owe people, you know? Not if I can help it."

Kaito cocked his head to the side at that, feeling very much awkward at having a stranger and a girl wash his own dirty dishes. But Miku seemed to want to get her own way about it, even about such things as Kaito's own chores, so he eventually gave up with an embarrassed smile, and shrugged his okay. "Well, if you're sure... I mean, okay. Thanks, Miku. I'll do better next time, I promise."

Miku rolled her eyes a little and smiled. "You don't have to impress me. I'm not your... mom... or anything," she trailed off with a complicated expression, and turned her attention away from Kaito to focus on running the hot water in the sink and grabbing the dish soap.

Kaito wandered back out into the bedroom and kicked off his shoes, flopped down onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling as the sound of running water gave background noise to his apartment. After a moment of quiet self-reflection, he picked up the remote control to his somewhat small television and clicked it on.

A few extremely boring commercials later, Miku rejoined him in the bedroom, wiping her hands off with a clean, dry hand towel. Her eyes were drawn by the flicker of the TV and she said in a voice filled with a strange sort of pleasure, "Oooh, I haven't watched TV in /so/ long!"

Kaito glanced over at her and offered a smile, but he felt like frowning. What kind of life was this girl living? Kaito scooted over a little in case Miku wanted to join him, and she plopped her thin little butt down on the covers next to him, her eyes taking in the activity on the screen.

In such proximity, and in such a small room, it wasn't long before Kaito was distracted by Miku's closeness, and not for a good reason. His sidelong look turned into a small sweatdrop, and then a larger and larger sweatdrop. Kaito swallowed, wondering how to break the topic but...

"Uhm," Kaito's voice kind of broke from nervousness, "Did you, uh, want to take that shower? Not to be, um, pushy or anything but... I think maybe you do need one," Kaito finished, flushing from embarrassment from his statement.

"Oh!" Miku flushed a little too, and stood up a bit too quickly. "I- sorry, about that. Yes, I... uh, it's just... been a while, so I..."

Kaito shook his head, "No, it's okay. I mean, I understand. I just thought, you might be more comfortable, after you got, you know... clean?" Kaito's sweatdrop could not have gotten any larger than it was in that moment, and Miku's blushing face seemed to understand that Kaito didn't mean anything mean by it.

"No... I mean, yeah. I mean, thank you. Do you have a spare towel I could use? And maybe a comb? Sorry to put you out," Miku's eyes stared at her toes as she asked, still flushing.

"Y-yeah, thanks. I mean, I do," Kaito rummaged around for a moment and came up with his own soft-bristled hair brush, a clean, fluffy towel, and a washcloth. After a brief pause, he grabbed one of his own clean shirts too, and offered it out. "If you want to. It might be too big for you though, but it's clean. You could wash your clothes out in the tub? Unless you want to go to the laundromat."

Miku took the items with a grateful glance at Kaito's face. "No... I... thanks, this is great, Kaito," She said quietly. "You know, not many people would do this for a total stranger."

Kaito fought back a blush of his own at the unexpected praise, and looked anywhere but at Miku's face. Kaito cleared his throat, trying to think of a response.

"...Especially not a stranger who bowls them over in the middle of the crosswalk," Miku added quietly, and Kaito's shocked blue eyes returned to her face. She grinned slightly, looking almost impish.

"You knew it was me?" Kaito asked, sounding a little outraged, then laughed despite himself, feeling suddenly more comfortable again. "Yeah, don't do that again. I've probably got bruises for a week from getting knocked on my butt like that."

Miku grinned more boldly, apparently unashamed of her actions. "Oh, don't be a baby. I'll bet you've gotten way worse than that in your life!"

Kaito's appalled look of 'down-memory-lane' made Miku laugh again, and she spun around and walked to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. "I'm using your shower stuff!" The muffled voice came through the door, and Kaito heard the bathroom door click locked.

The bluenette shook his head to himself, grinning still. While Miku hadn't really apologized, he felt like maybe it was pretty close to an "I'm sorry" anyways, and it felt good. He closed his eyes, feeling the almost uncomfortable fullness of his belly making him sleepy, and let the TV play on in the background as Miku started the shower going.


	5. Chapter 5

The first rush of the hot water hitting Miku's skin felt almost orgasmic. She tried not to groan at the wonderful feeling and almost succeeded. Miku picked up the bottle of shampoo from Kaito's shelf and sniffed it lightly before pouring some into the palm of her hand and lathering it through her hair.

The sensation of soapy shampoo in her stiff, uncomfortable hair brought out another low moan from Miku's throat. Had anything in her life ever felt as good as this moment? She dunked her hair back under the shower's spray, letting the first application of shampoo rinse regretfully away, before squirting more shampoo zestfully back into her hair. It had been so long since she'd been properly clean that it was going to take more than one wash to return to herself.

The subtle, masculine fragrance of Kaito's shampoo and the soft, steady rhythm of the warm shower spray hitting her body lulled Miku into a wonderful, pleasurable state. She massaged her hair again and again, not wanting to stop the pleasant, longed-for feeling.

After many long long minutes, Miku's hand reached out for the washcloth, and a delighted smile was on her face as she wetted it under the shower's spray and applied more of Kaito's shampoo to the soft cotton fabric, and started to wash her body down.

Miku closed her eyes in bliss as she washed herself as thoroughly as she could ever remember doing so. Once she had done her body a first time, she rinsed the cloth, reapplied more soap, and started all over again. It felt /wonderful./ Miku made a mental note that she would have to thank Kaito for this. Just doing the dishes was not enough for the mind-blowing comfort of this wonderful shower.

Not wanting to get out, and not hearing Kaito complaining about how long she was taking, Miku just stood under the warm spray for a very long time, letting the water trickle over her body soothingly. Feeling a little greedy for the good sensations, but not knowing when she would be able to do this again, Miku guiltily slathered yet another coating of shampoo over her hair, rinsed after a very long third head massage, then finally grabbed the conditioner and applied that as well.

Miku's fingers combed through her hair in the shower, and she smiled as it felt like wet silk through her fingers. The water darkened the teal color of her hair, and made it try to stick to her body, so she shook her head back and stood under the shower again, letting it flow with the flow of the water.

"Mmm," Miku said softly to herself, and finally turned the shower off, waiting for a moment as she dripped some of the excess water down into the tub. Miku grabbed for the soft, clean bath towel and dried off her body first, then squeezed some more of the water out of her long hair. Her skin ached all over, and it was a wonderfully pleasant ache. It felt like she had grown new skin everywhere that had been washed.

Miku reluctantly stepped out of the shower, giving it a longing and beloved look as she did so, then turned and squatted on her ankles to stopper up the tub portion of the bath. She tossed her dirty clothes into the tub and started the bottom faucet on hot. Miku's nose wrinkled as her clean body was no longer camoflague for the somewhat rank odor coming off her dirty clothing. No wonder Kaito had suggested the shower sooner rather than later.

'Not that I'm complaining,' Miku thought to herself with an almost lightheaded grin. 'That felt /incredible./'

Miku's eyes took in the brush Kaito had let her borrow and her grin grew a little more. She had expected a comb, not a brush, and it tickled her a little to know that the kind, yet masculine bluenette had something as girly as a hairbrush in his hygiene repertoire. Her grin grew even larger as she checked out underneath his cabinets and discovered a hair dryer there.

"Jackpot!" Miku announced, greatly pleased, and pulled the appliance from its place under the sink.

The rhythmic motion of her left wrist brushing her hair, the warm, soft breeze from the hair dryer, and the sensation of her damp skin drying naturally in the relatively quiet, safe room was blissful and almost hypnotic. Miku's fingers touched her clean hair almost obsessively with how soft it felt. Touched against her shoulder's skin, her collarbone, and smiled at how it felt soft, a little ticklish and not at all greasy or tight, itchy or uncomfortable, anymore. She took a deep, happy breath, smelling the humidity and cleanliness.

Her pleasant, dreamy smile turned into a frown and a sweatdrop as she turned back to the tub and saw that the clothes in the running hot water had actually discolored the fresh water to a milky grey. Miku didn't really even want to touch the dirty fabric with her nice clean hands, but...

Miku grabbed some soap and applied it gratuitously to the wet fabric, sweatdropped more as it seemed to absorb the soap and not even lather, due to being so dirty. Miku dunked the fabric back in the water, massaged it again, added more soap. Gradually, the fabric became less lax and more stiff, then grew lax once again. Miku changed the water in the tub and washed her clothes a second time, cleaning as well as she could with just her bare hands.

When Miku was finished, she wrung out the clothes and shook them out, then draped them over the shower curtain rod. She felt more than a little embarassed and anxious to leave her underwear on display like that, in case Kaito had to come in to pee or something. She knew her clothes wouldn't have enough time to dry fully before she would have to leave, if she wanted to make it to the shelter tonight, and sleep in a real bed for the first time in what felt like forever.

The thought made Miku pause and smile in excited, encouraged hope. It really had been a stroke of luck to bump into- not literally this time- Kaito earlier that evening. Miku shimmied into Kaito's too-large tshirt, snuggling into its comfort. For just a little while, she wanted to be clean, dry, warm, full, happy, and comfortable.

Miku cleaned up the mess of water on the floor as best as she could, and then opened the door to the bathroom. The cool breeze hitting her body felt good, but a little unsafe. A little too exposed. Miku took a deep breath and prepared to meet Kaito again.

The bluenette was sprawled out, fully clothed on top of the bed, looking perfectly at home. His eyes were closed peacefully. Miku stared at his face for a moment, her eyes softening. She wondered if she should wake him or leave him alone. Miku cleared her throat slightly, feeling a little dry on the inside. Kaito's eyes fluttered sleepily and he cracked them open to look at her.

"Hey," Kaito's soft voice uttered as he gave Miku a sleepy, lazy little smile. Miku smiled back, more easily than she would have expected.

"Thanks, Kaito. For the shower," Miku replied with gratitude in her quiet voice. Kaito smiled a little more at that, and encouraged, Miku continued, "Do you have anything to drink?"

"Yeah, sure, Miku," Kaito yawned and stretched his arms out, "In the fridge, if you want, help yourself?"

Miku smiled a little naughtily, realizing an opportunity to tease Kaito. "Beer?"

Kaito rolled his eyes and grinned tiredly back at the teal-haired girl. "That's another trick, isn't it? Are you trying to find out if I'm an alcoholic?"

Miku grinned boldly back. "That wasn't a no," she said.

Kaito shook his head a little, and sprawled the backs of his hands against his face and forehead, closing his blue eyes. "Sorry, but I'm not the guy to go to if you want to get drunk. Besides, I'm only 20, it's not even legal for me to buy that stuff yet."

Miku's eyes widened a little in surprise. "Really? I thought you were older than that, somehow."

"Maybe because I'm so responsible and mature and good looking, right, Miku?" The muffled, humorous reply caught Miku off her guard and she laughed a little in reply.

"Maybe. As long as it doesn't have to do with washing your dishes," Miku shot back, and she watched as Kaito's lips curved back upwards in another nice smile.

Miku went quietly into the kitchen and discovered cold milk in the fridge with excitement. She poured herself a glass and drank it quickly, reveling in the coolness and smoothness of the beverage, before rinsing the cup and placing it in the sink. Miku returned to the bedroom and noticed Kaito hadn't bothered to move his lax body with its closed eyes from its earlier position.

Sitting down next to Kaito didn't feel too awkward, even while only wearing a shirt that didn't even belong to her, and nothing else. Miku settled in for a moment, wanting to enjoy the comfort of the room, and checked out the TV that was playing softly in the background. She closed her teal eyes for just a moment, relaxing on the comfortable, soft bed. Kaito's soft, rhythmic breathing echoed quietly in her ears.


	6. Chapter 6

Kaito woke up partially to a feeling of warmth and light weight against his body. His eyes didn't want to open, but after a sleepy moment of debate, he cracked his eyelids to determine what was going on.

Teal hair illuminated by the flashing lights of the television screen came into his tired vision first, followed by the realization that Miku was asleep, and was holding him like a giant teddybear. Her- his- shirt had ridden up on her thighs a little bit. Kaito blushed and lay very still.

The weight and body warmth against his torso and chest felt nice, and the mild scent of his own shampoo and laundry detergent was comforting and familiar. Kaito's tired mind wondered offhand if, if Miku woke up and found herself cuddling up next to a stranger she had essentially only just met, if he would get the bad end of a fist to his gut. Or worse. But the atmosphere felt quiet, despite the drone of the TV in the background, and Kaito found himself going with it, relaxing into the sleep-hug, and drifting back into his own sleep.

...

Miku jolted awake, disoriented and instantly panicking as she realized she didn't recognize her surroundings. The flicker of light from the TV cast the room in shadows, and her small body tensed in that fear that only came from an abrupt wakening. She froze her body as she listened and strained her senses to identify any dangers before drawing attention to herself by moving and looking.

There was warmth around her, and the ground she was lying on was moving slightly, rhythmically, quietly. As she came to her senses, Miku realized that there were arms around her back. Realized that her own arms were wrapped around the thing holding her. Realized that the movement of the ground was not an earthquake, was not cold, hard cement, but was... somebody's body? breathing lightly under her ear.

Miku raised her head trepidly and looked upwards to take in Kaito's slumbering face. The bluenette's face was lax, looked comfortable, and was drooling just the slightest bit out of the corner of his soft-looking lips. Miku stared, her heart pounding against her chest at the unresponsive man.

Miku paid attention to her own arms again. Had she done that? Wrapped her arms around Kaito while she slept? Her blush increased and she lay her head nervously back down on Kaito's warm chest, feeling the fabric of his shirt brush against her cheek. Listened to his heart beating, very quietly, with wide teal eyes.

Miku wondered offhand how long she had been sleeping. Was it too late to try to get a bed at the shelter? But being wrapped up in someone's arms like this... someone who hadn't given her a reason to fear them... it felt nice. It felt a little dreamlike in quality. Miku's face scrunched up a little bit as a thought occurred to her, unwelcome.

'Maybe this is what it feels like to be loved by somebody.'

Her small chest tightened at the thought, and Miku tried to swallow, but her throat felt constricted, and her body felt suddenly heavy and anxious. She tried to blink back unwelcome tears as her body apparently decided that it was a safe enough place to cut loose at. Miku sniffled and pressed her face against Kaito's sleeping chest, then tensed again, wondering if the bluenette would awaken and scold her, hit her, maybe throw her out.

...But nothing happened, and Miku's shoulders began to shake as her emotions finally caught up to her and she cried as quietly as she could, helpless, holding onto Kaito's shirt like it was the only real thing left in the world.

"Mmph," Kaito mumbled slightly in his sleep, and adjusted his body slightly, to get more comfortable. Miku's teal eyes widened comically as he tightened his grip around the younger girl, and settled his body into a deeper sleep. Her eyes slowly returned to their normal size, then started to close slightly, yearning towards the safety that those comforting arms hugging her, not hurting her, brought to her heart and mind.

Miku gazed up at Kaito's sleeping face once more, and didn't even feel like laughing or making fun of the slightly increased amount of drool on his smooth, soft, pale face. Her eyes shimmered for a long moment, before she closed them, and let the comfort of the embrace soothe her back into a peaceful, tear-stained sleep.

...

When Kaito woke up the next morning, it was to a slender ankle squished against his face. He blinked, and tried to move the object, then blushed hard and woke fully in an instant as he realized the ankle was attached to a leg, which was attached to a body... and that the shirt Miku had borrowed from him had ridden up in her sleep. Kaito yanked at the fabric, praying that Miku wouldn't wake up from him tugging on her clothes, and covered her back up to decency.

The shock of a bucket of cold water being splashed over him would have not woken Kaito so effectively, and he groaned slightly as he scooted out of bed, sweatdropping as he realized he'd left the TV on all night, and made his way to the bathroom to relieve himself and wash his hands. Maybe he would surprise his surprise overnight guest by making breakfast for them?

Kaito's lingering blush returned with ferocity as he carefully avoided his eyes from Miku's dry clothes on the shower curtain rod. He especially did not notice the pair of dainty underwear just laid across the rod, innocently next to Miku's shirt and pants. An almost-too-intense tooth brushing later, and an attempt at fixing his bed-mussed hair, Kaito gave up on the idea of a morning shower. It would require moving Miku's... clothes. Kaito blushed again and cleared his throat, then headed back out into the bedroom.

Miku was slowly awakening as Kaito returned. 'Maybe the bed's not as comfortable without a foot cushion,' Kaito thought to himself, sweatdropping again. He cracked a smile at Miku's sleepy teal eyes as they fluttered open to notice him standing there.

"I think we fell asleep," Kaito offered helplessly along with his smile. Miku flushed slightly and tugged at her- his- shirt, then a small smile bloomed on her face as well as she looked back up at Kaito.

"Y-yeah. Sorry, I... hope it's okay," Miku said a little bit awkwardly, seeming self-conscious. Kaito shook his head to let her know it wasn't a problem.

"Nah, it's fine. Hope you slept okay, I kind of fell asleep before turning the TV off or anything. Umm, do you want some breakfast? I'm not much of a cook, but I think even I can manage some scrambled eggs or something," Kaito offered, cocking his head to one side slightly.

Miku's warm smile made his heart pound uncomfortably. Kaito remembered with sudden clarity the feeling of her warm, slight body against his own, hugging him, last night. He avoided Miku's teal eyes eyes with his returning blush.

"Want me to do it? I might be a better cook than you, from the sounds of it," Miku cracked, and Kaito looked back at her, grinning slightly.

"Are you coming down on my cooking skills?" Kaito teased back. Then he laughed a little bit. "Well, I'm not a chef, if you want to make the extra effort, go right ahead. But if yours turns out worse than my own cooking, you're not going to live it down, Miku."

Miku's tinkling laugh was like a melody to Kaito's ears, and he listened to it, amazed that this was the same girl who had glared at him after knocking him down so rudely in the street. The same girl who had looked so pathetically heartbroken over something like missing the nightly meal at the community kitchen. Kaito's heart swelled up a little bit.

'/This/... right here. This is the real Miku. Isn't it?' Kaito smiled happily at the thought, and Miku smiled back, then flipped her bed-mussed hair and hopped herself up from the comfort of the bed.

"I'm going to make you eat those words," Miku joked back as she helped herself to the bathroom, turning the faucet on and appreciatively washing her face, brushing her hair with Kaito's hairbrush, and eyeing Kaito's toothbrush with an intense longing before deciding against it. Miku popped her head back out through the doorway and flashed a quick grin as she completed her statement, "...literally!"


	7. Chapter 7

A loud, obnoxious sound rang out shockingly through the apartment as Miku flipped the first of two frying eggs in Kaito's kitchen. The noise startled her so badly the egg almost flew out of the pan.

"Sorry!" Kaito called out, embarrassed, as he slapped the alarm clock to its 'off' setting. "It's, uh, time for me to wake up, apparently."

Miku's heart was beating hard against her chest, a mile a minute. Her dilated pupils took in every last minute movement and sound in the apartment from where she stood, shaking slightly. She jerked back, wide-eyed, as Kaito entered the kitchen and reached out a hand to touch her shoulder.

"Oh, I- I'm sorry. You just, I wanted to see if you were okay. You looked a little spooked but, I'll just... go back to the bedroom. Sorry, Miku," Kaito said quietly and backed away, his hands up where she could stare at them. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's... okay," Miku managed to reply. The blaring sound of a car horn outside the apartment made her hyper vigilance flare back up, and Miku cast almost panicked eyes towards the small window of the kitchen, tensing her body to run away quickly if necessary. To fight back if running away was not an option.

"Sorry," Kaito said, for lack of anything better, looking a little unhappy as he backed away and returned quietly to his bed, sat down on its edge.

Miku stood still for a long moment, trying to calm her nerves, before the scent of the breakfast cooking returned to her nose, and she widened her eyes, cursing lightly under her breath as it was almost too late to keep the eggs from turning a deep, crispy, brown color on one side.

"So much for sunny side up," Miku tried to laugh to herself, and stopped quickly as she heard the edge of nervous hysteria in her own voice. "...Get it together, you're not a little kid anymore," Miku scolded herself, and it seemed to help a little.

...

Miku served the less-brown egg to Kaito, almost daring him to make fun of her cooking. It was his fault that the breakfast had nearly burned, after all. But the bluenette just made an appreciative noise as he bit into the egg on toast Miku had prepared. A slice of melty cheese on top gave a creamy, delicious mouthfeel to the meal.

"Do I pass?" Miku's tone had an unintended edge of acid to it, but she found herself smiling softly when Kaito nodded his head a little too quickly. She bit into her own egg sandwich, too interested in the food to wait any longer. Despite the being slightly overdone, it really was good.

"So, what are you doing today?" Miku asked after a moment of chewing and enjoying the taste of fresh, hot food, the feeling of having her belly get filled with something healthy. Kaito swallowed his mouthful to reply.

"I have class, then tonight I work at the soup kitchen again," Kaito said, licking his fingers and eyeing what was left of his egg sandwich with apparent relish.

"Oh, I see," Miku replied, a little disappointed. She had kind of hoped for- what? To spend more time together? Miku shook her head a little bit to herself. The two of them were worlds apart. Just look at their living situations. Still, she liked the easy smile of the bluenette, felt a quiet camaraderie with him that left her heart aching a little bit. She pushed the feeling aside and concentrated on her breakfast.

"So, maybe I'll... see you there, tonight, if you come?" Kaito finished his breakfast and smiled a little at Miku. Miku stared at his blue eyes, then found herself smiling back.

"Yeah, maybe," Miku allowed. But it gave her a concrete plan; something to look forward to. Free food and seeing Kaito. She hadn't felt this encouraged about anything in what felt like a long time. She smiled downwards and finished her own breakfast a little reluctantly.

...

Miku put on her clean clothes, stiff from dry hanging over the shower curtain rod. They felt a little odd, a little uncomfortable from the stiffness, but the cleanness more than made up for it. It had been a while since Miku's skin hadn't felt dirty and greasy, and she offered a quick mental gratitude to Kaito for it.

Miku and Kaito left the apartment together, walking a short distance. Kaito's backpack was on his back, full of college books. Miku's quick steps made up for Kaito's longer legs, and when it was time to part ways he gave her a friendly little wave and told her to have a good day. Miku smiled back and replied in like manner, and watched his back as he continued on his way.

'I would have walked the whole way with him, but there's no point in wandering all across the city. Plus, I don't want to look stalker. Walking the whole way to school with a guy you just met would be a little creepy,' Miku thought, but still felt a twinge of longing as Kaito's now-familiar body disappeared around a corner.

Miku shook herself. She had the whole day, again, and she'd already accomplished the most important task: the first meal of the day. The next most important thing would probably be scrounging around for anything useful she could find: money, in case she got lucky enough that someone dropped change on the ground, or anything else free that might be available or laying around for her to help herself to.

With renewed confidence, knowing she looked less like a street bum today due to newly clean clothes and washed hair and body, Miku strolled down the street and walked into the bank. They gave out free lollipops, and she snagged three, walking away quickly as the bank teller gave her the hairy eye for taking sweets without using the service.

Popping one of the lollipops in her mouth, Miku closed her eyes briefly to enjoy the sugar taste. She put the other two lollipops in her pocket. What should she do next?

Kaito's mention of the Salvation Army had made her curious, and she thought she might check it out. Miku walked and walked, remembering vaguely where she had passed the store by previously, and she walked inside, feeling a little uncomfortable since she knew she had no money to buy anything with. Still, it was worth looking around.

Miku didn't really want to steal anything, but her fingers ached as she touched against the many fabrics of clean, soft clothing in her size as she wandered the aisles. A blonde woman wearing a smock met her eyes and Miku quickly averted her gaze.

"Hello," The woman greeted Miku, friendly. "It's a nice day, today, isn't it?"

Apparently the woman was a chatterbug, and Miku slowly raised her head and re-met her eyes, smiling a little uncomfortably, "Ah... yes, the weather's nice today."

The woman smiled and nodded, "We got some new arrivals in that size recently; I was about to put them out, if you're interested."

Miku shook her head, feeling lower than trash as she stepped back from the clothes a little guiltily. "No, I... can't really afford any of these," Miku admitted very quietly, wondering if the woman would throw her out of the store. Friendly people became cruel when they found out you didn't have money to spend.

"Oh! I see," The woman said, thoughtfully, and regarded Miku. Miku looked down at the ground, feeling like she was being judged. "Well, I don't know if you're interested, but... our other regular volunteer called out sick today. We have a program here; if you volunteer for four hours, you can pick out any two articles of clothing you like for free. I don't know if you'd be interested but..." The woman threw a conspiratorial smile at Miku. "Normally, you'd have to talk to someone and get on the schedule, but I'm kind of like the boss around here- or at least /I/ like to think so. If you wanted, you could go home with some free clothes, if you've got some time to kill anyways today?"

Miku blinked, deeply surprised. She grinned suddenly, thrilled at the idea. She would be allowed to work, and get new clothes? It sounded great! What was the catch? Miku's smile faded a little.

"Uh, do I have to, fill out paperwork or anything?" Miku asked, cautious again.

"You're not being paid in money, so we don't have to do that," The woman said, and smiled again. Miku smiled back and nodded.

"I would like to do that. Thank you!"

...

At noontime, Miku said her farewell to the woman at the store, who had identified herself as 'Lily' to the teal-haired girl. In her hands was a recycled plastic grocery bag filled with a new blouse and a pair of jeans that were both in good shape. Miku had tried them on in the fitting room, and admired herself with giddy pleasure in the mirror.

In her hands was also a plastic bag full of bagels that had been donated by the local bakery. Lily had explained that once a week, the store got donations from local bakeries and stores of their product that didn't sell or was past date, and walk-ins were allowed to take one product for free.

Miku was feeling pretty good about herself, and her cheery smile that had been hidden away for some time was on her face as she walked around town with her head held high, like a real shopper. Her grocery bag full of items filled her with new confidence as she wandered around, deciding to check out the local grocery store's parking lot, for change people may have dropped.

It was a bit of walk there, but Miku had time, and her belly wasn't rumbling too badly yet. She wanted to save the bagels for a little longer.

"N-no!" A shrill, frightened voice met Miku's ears as she rounded the corner of a tall brick building. Miku pulled back, eyes wide and ears on alert for danger as she clutched the shopping bag in her girlish hand.

"Please, don't! Stop!" A girl was being cornered by three older girls, all bigger and taller than she was. One of them was grinning maliciously at her and pulling hard on her hair. The younger girl was cringing away, obviously terrified.

The other girls were saying something, then laughing, and the laughter had a cruel edge to it. Miku recognized the danger when she saw it, and she began to back up quietly, to take another route. It wasn't a good idea to catch the attention of people like this, who would probably hurt Miku too, if they saw her. She felt bad for the younger girl, but... Miku had to look out for herself, too. Miku's conscience fought her as she backed away.

"N-no! It hurts! Please, stop, let me go!" The girl cried out again, tears in her eyes now. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry! Please stop!" Miku heard the sound of flesh being hit, and her teal eyes rounded in memory from the combination of those words and that sound. Adrenaline pounded into her system as her teeth clenched in a sudden surge of insane emotion.

"Leave her alone!" Miku shouted suddenly, startling the group of girls. The leader lifted her head lazily and looked at Miku, taking in the fact that she looked clean and had a shopping bag, and judging her as weaker than the three of them. The leader girl smirked.

"You shouldn't poke your nose in other peoples' business, girl, unless you want to get hurt. Maybe there's something good in that grocery bag of yours, huh? Why don't you give us your money... all of it, right now," The girl threatened, letting the younger, crying girl go and stalking over to Miku. The younger girl huddled against the building, unable to escape. Miku's teeth clenched painfully and her wide eyes took in the leader as she grabbed one of Miku's teal twintails.

"Didn't you hear me?" The leader grinned, and it was an evil grin, one that sparked a bad memory, as she pulled Miku's hair, hard. Miku screamed and hit the girl with the arm that held the grocery bag. The leader girl staggered, shouting out in anger. She grabbed Miku's arm and hit her in the stomach.

One of the other girls ran away from the younger girl to help the leader to teach Miku a lesson. Miku twirled and headbutted her, kicking and screaming and hitting, doing about as much damage as a teenaged girl could do, pulling hair and biting viciously, but it was two against one, and the third girl simply watched, still holding the younger girl's wrist with one hand, waiting in case her buddies needed backup.

"Arrrghhh!" Miku screamed in frustration as she got smacked down onto the curb painfully, her backside hurting from the fall as the second girl grabbed her by the hair again and started slamming her head against the concrete. Miku's hands grabbed for anything, anything, and found a hard, squarish piece of brick within their grasp. She gripped her fingers around it and smashed it against the side of the girl's head, stunning her and bashing a break in the skin so that blood poured down the side of the girl's face.

"Ahh!" The girl yelled, holding her head, her vision starry, as she staggered. "You little bitch! You're going to pay for that!"

Miku showed all of her teeth in a grimace of fear and pain and anger and tried to get to her feet again, fighting the stars in her own vision, but a strong kick from the leader girl brought her back to the ground. Miku smashed the brick on the girl's toes and was satisfied to hear a shriek before that same foot connected with her hand and kicked the brick out of her fingers forcefully.

"Yami, get over here! We're going to teach this little shit a lesson in manners!" The leader girl panted and yelled at the third girl, who released the younger girl's wrist and stepped forwards meaningfully as the leader raised her leg again to kick Miku hard. Miku flinched and closed her eyes tight against the pain, knowing she couldn't escape.

The blow didn't fall, and a startled sqwak and sound of struggle, sound of flesh hitting flesh, made Miku open her eyes again widely in fear. Another girl was holding the leader, the girl was struggling, a fresh bruise blooming on her face. The leader girl's corkscrew pigtails bounced and she screamed in rage as she was thrown to the ground next to Miku. Miku scrambled to her feet, her body in pain from being hit.

"You want a lesson in manners? How about a lesson in pain?!" The taller girl yelled down at the leader, and Miku's eyes took in the sight of four other girls standing behind the taller girl. One of them smacked her fist in her palm. All of them looked pissed off.

"T-this isn't over!" The leader wiped the blood off her lip with an enraged look, glancing at her cohorts, and turned to flee with them. The newcomers watched them go.

"Mizki, are you alright?" The taller girl asked in a low tone. The younger girl who had been crying ran over to her, and nodded her head. The tall girl placed a hand on the younger girl's head for a moment, then turned her gaze to look back at Miku.

"That was pretty brave of you. Stupid, though. Why get involved with street trash like us?" The tall girl asked, her eyes hard. "Not that I don't appreciate it. Mizki's one of us, after all. And we don't take kindly to other gangs going after one of our girls."

Miku glared sullenly, and the taller girl pulled back a little, surprised at the survivor's eyes Miku was showing her. "Oh, I see. Maybe we're not so different, then? Though it's clear you're in better shape than most of us are." The girl's jealousy was pretty clear, and Miku felt like she had to explain herself, which she resented.

"Someone let me use their shower," was all Miku had to say to explain the situation fully. The taller girl nodded slowly, and looked Miku over again.

"We could use another fighter like you. A girl with guts, you know? We look out for our own. Why don't you think about it. What's your name?" The tall girl said.

"It's Miku," Miku said, on guard, untrusting of this new person.

"I'm Lola, and I run this chapter of the Punk Ravens. That's us," The tall girl grinned. "A girl gang that runs these parts. And those bitches that we just ran off like cowards? They've been fringing on our territory the last couple of weeks. They had it coming, so don't worry about it."

Miku nodded, watching the rest of the girls. The younger girl, Mizki, stepped trepidly forwards.

"Miku? ...Thank you, for helping me. If you hadn't distracted them before Lola got here, I..." Mizki bowed her head, her thin shoulders shaking with fear still.

"Don't worry about it," Miku replied, feeling a lump in her throat, knowing just how close it had been between Miku turning tail and running, or staying and fighting. Whether she had done the right thing or not, looking at the younger girl's teary, grateful eyes made Miku forget the scrapes and bruises that would be hurting her even more tomorrow.

"We hang out around S street, usually, during the day. There's couches behind the dumpster... unless you want to go to the library or something," Lola smiled, and Miku felt herself relaxing a little bit. "There's not really anything to eat at our hangout, but..."

"I've got bagels," Miku announced and picked up her grocery bag from where it had fallen on the ground, straightening back up, and wondering to herself why she was offering to share her previous food with people who were practically strangers. "From the Salvation Army," Miku explained more fully.

Lola's eyes widened and she smiled again, looking more natural this time, "They got new bakery stuff in? Awesome! We should go, and pick some things up before it's all gone, you guys. We'll have a pig-out. Sound good?" Lola turned back to Miku, and suddenly, even though it wasn't Miku's intention, they were friends. The teal-haired girl found herself nodding, going along with Lola.

"Cool, let's rock this party," Lola grinned, and the other girls high-fived themselves like dorks. Miku followed behind them as they turned and started walking back in the direction Miku had just come from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although it doesn't particularly mean anything, I thought I'd mention that 'Punk Raven' is a nod to a gaiaonline item that has Kaito's scarf in it, haha. ^^;


	8. Chapter 8

It was starting to get towards the end of the day. The sun was lower in the horizon.

"Do you know what time it is?" Miku asked one of the girls who was relaxing her back against the chipped green paint of the dumpster. Not all of the girls had a watch, and Lola had wandered off somewhere with a large group of the other girls.

"Yeah, it's about 4:30," The girl tilted her head and replied to Miku, looking lazily up at her new teal-haired fellow punk. "Why? You got somewhere you gotta be?"

"The soup kitchen. It serves food at 5:00, right?" Miku asked, getting up and brushing off her skirt lightly with one hand.

"Soup kitchen? Yeah, I think so. But, that's outside our territory. I wouldn't go there, if I were you," the girl replied to Miku, a little more interested.

"It's okay, I have a... friend, there," Miku replied, blushing slightly despite herself. She didn't want to admit how much she had been looking forward to seeing Kaito again, all day. Her new friends were good, and it felt wonderful to have someone looking out for her back. Like she could relax, just a little bit. And she hadn't really /promised/ Kaito she would be there, but...

"Ohhh," The girl grinned, "A /friend/ huh? Is he cute?"

"I, uh, he's, you know," Miku scratched her head, her blush not going unnoticed by the other girl.

"Well, just be careful when you go to see your boyfriend," The girl winked, and Miku was too embarrassed to correct her. "You're new to the gang, so maybe it won't cause trouble, but if anything happens outside of our territory, you're on your own."

"I will," Miku replied, and nodded once.

...

Kaito sighed and wiped the back of his hand across his forehead, finishing putting the hot food out in its large, heavy steel trays. His blue eyes scanned the line for Miku's teal twintails without avail.

"Looking to see if the line got longer yet again?" Len asked and leaned on the table, avoiding the hot parts.

"Umm, something like that," Kaito said, glancing back at the line again. He hoped Miku was okay. The younger girl had been on his mind most of the day.

"Well, get ready to serve up a storm. It's definitely as busy again tonight as last night," Len muttered, almost to himself. Kaito nodded, distractedly.

...

Once dinner began to be served, Kaito had no more time to scan the line of customers for Miku's familiar teal hair. He smiled at the familiar faces and at the new faces, replying in a friendly manner to some, allowing others to pass through his line without comment, depending on how they appeared to be feeling at the moment.

The line was winding down when quick teal eyes met Kaito's cobalt blue eyes. He smiled as his eyes widened a little bit.

"Hey, Miku,' Kaito greeted pleasantly. "I was wondering if you were coming tonight after all."

"Well, yeah, I figured I'd come make sure you weren't getting into any trouble," Miku bluffed and then smiled back at Kaito easily, as if her smile were natural and commonplace; a big change from the girl Kaito had met at their first interaction.

"I'm glad. I wanted to see you," Kaito said in reply, before he realized that maybe saying that sounded a little odd. It was the truth, though.

"O-oh," Miku averted her eyes, a little pink staining her cheeks. "Um, I checked out the Salvation Army..." The sound of the person behind her clearing their throat interrupted Miku, and she flushed in embarrassment.

"Once I finish serving, maybe we can sit for a little while and chat?" Kaito offered with another pleased smile, a little curious about what Miku had begun to tell him about her day.

Miku nodded and glanced back at Kaito's face as she continued down the line. Her stomach growled angrily at her as the scents of hot food so close to her mouth tempted her. She glanced around the room, where long buffet-style tables had been set up with folding chairs for people to sit in.

There didn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to the seating arrangement; people were just sitting wherever, some greeting friends as they sat down in their chosen seats. Miku picked a table that had several openings, glancing to her right and left to make sure no one took offense to her sitting down there.

Miku started eating her dinner, and couldn't stop herself from making delicious food sounds with her mouth as she ate in full appreciation of the hot meal. When she finished, she simply sat, watching the volunteer staff serving themselves. Kaito approached her table and slipped into the seat next to her, a plate full of food for himself on his own tray as he smiled.

...

"Ah," Kaito interrupted himself, "We should probably put our plates away; the kitchen closes up at 6:00." His eyes noticed the clock on the wall, and Miku followed his glance.

Rising together, they walked to the tables that held large plastic tubs near one side of the wall; a tub for each kind of dish, one for silverware, a trashcan for solid waste, and a bucket with a strainer in the top for liquid waste. Kaito and Miku scraped their plates and put their dishes away where they belonged.

"I usually help sweep after everyone leaves, then I take off, too," Kaito explained as Miku and he walked back to their places at the table and sat down comfortably for a few more minutes. Miku nodded.

"Are you going to stay at the shelter tonight?" Kaito asked. "Len, uh, one of the other volunteers, was telling me that they were at capacity last night, so it might be a good idea to get your spot early. It's the door just around the corner; you'll know when you go up the staircase what to do and where to go."

"Oh, thanks," Miku smiled. She wouldn't admit that she really had been thinking of Kaito's apartment, and the warm comfort of sleeping together in his bed like family. But anything with a bed sounded a little bit like heaven right now, and Kaito seemed to think the shelter was a safe place to sleep.

"No problem," Kaito replied.

"Okay, it's that time again, everybody head on out! We're closed up for the night," The boss of the kitchen appeared to loudly alert the dwindling number of customers who were still sitting at the tables.

"Guess that's my cue," Kaito said and stood up, folding his chair. Miku followed suit and put her own chair, folded up, back into its place on the other side of the wall, alongside a bunch of other folding chairs.

"I don't work at the kitchen tomorrow; it's my actual job tomorrow. But I hope I'll see you the next time I work here. I'd like to know you're still doing okay," Kaito said, feeling a little self-conscious at his request, although it was heartfelt.

"Yeah, okay," Miku said, a little disappointed, but a little pleased. "Goodnight, Kaito."

"Night, Miku," Kaito smiled and waved over his shoulder as he turned to go back to work cleaning up after everyone. Miku joined the mass exodus of the remainder of customers leaving the soup kitchen. Deciding not to wait, she followed the building around the side and located the door Kaito had mentioned. She opened the door and climbed up the flight of stairs in search of a dry, safe place to rest her head for the night.


	9. Chapter 9

"Wake up, my little cinnamon rolls!" A cheery, loud female voice yelled out and banged a coffee mug along the metal bed frames of the bunk beds. "It's 7 o'clock in the beautiful A.M.! That means it time to rise like daisies!"

A chorus of groans and the sound of sheets being pushed back by the sleepy people in the overnight shelter greeted the overly cheerful green-haired girl charged with alarm clock duty for the morning.

"Get your cute little butts up, take a piss, and get the hell out!" The girl shouted with a big grin, and the returning chorus of laughter lent a friendly atmosphere to the start of the new day. Miku slid out of her own bed, regretting losing its comfort already, and stretched her arms out over her head as her mind got to planning what she'd be doing for the day.

A second, good night's sleep in a row had left her feeling refreshed and only a little put out by her slumber-wrinkled clothing. Miku waited her turn for the bathroom and completed her business quickly; drinking with her cupped hand from the faucet, splashing water over her face and wiping it dry on the hem of her shirt. She could change clothes in a public restroom later; for now, speed and consideration for the other people at the shelter was the priority.

Miku didn't want someone walking in on her changing inside the bathroom anyways, and there was no lock; only common courtesy, keeping that from happening. Leaving the bathroom door open as the next occupant took her place, Miku wandered down the stairs and outside. The morning air was still very cool, and Miku sent up another gratitude that she hadn't had to spend another chilled, frightened night on the cold, hard ground, hoping that no one would find her as she tried desperately to sleep.

Deciding to go hunt down the gang of girls she had become friends with the day previous, Miku started walking, letting her muscles loosen and warm with the mild exercise. Her hand gripped the plastic shopping bag with her change of clean clothes. The bagels had been consumed yesterday, and she was a little regretful for it, since breakfast would have been good right about now.

"Oh, hey, new girl!" A lazy female voice said as she approached the girl gang's main hangout. Miku cracked a smile at Lola.

"It's Miku," the teal-haired girl reminded the self-professed leader of the gang's local chapter. Lola's easy smile back at her as the taller girl stretched out her body was friendly and held an edge of sisterly comfort to it. Miku was glad she had come straight here.

"So, you have a delicious buffet breakfast?" Lola cracked a joke as she walked up to Miku, pulling a leaf from Miku's twintails and twirling it between her fingers. Miku sweatdropped; how long had that been there?

"Running on empty this morning," Miku admitted, then continued, hopefully but not expectantly, "I don't suppose you know where a girl can get her stomach filled for free?"

Lola dropped the leaf and laughed a little, winking at Miku. "You just like me for my food," she said in an amused voice, as if she hadn't eaten Miku's bagels like everybody else had, yesterday. "Actually, it's about that time so, we're making a trip in a few, if you want to tag along and make yourself useful. Maybe learn something while you're at it."

The mysterious statement piqued Miku's curiousity as Lola turned away from her and nudged another girl's foot. The girl was laying on the ground, had covered herself lightly with single plys of newspaper, and was still sleeping, until Lola's movement woke her blearily up.

"Hey, wake up," Lola instructed. "I'm hungry, don't you want to eat?"

The girl nodded and got up, wandering around the hangout and gently shaking two, three other girls in various states of sleep and wakening. Yawns and stretches abounded as the small group of girls collected around Lola.

"Make sure someone's got lookout, we don't need cops busting our asses," Lola said, and a girl with light purple hair stepped forward. Lola nodded, satisfied.

"Yukari, it's your show until we get back." Lola spoke loud enough so that everyone awake could hear her clearly. Turning as a group, the girls followed closely as Lola led the way. Miku followed as well, at Lola's elbow. She didn't know the other girls that were there well enough to feel comfortable with them yet.

When you're on foot, everything takes a long time, and so the walk stretched on for quite some while, weaving around streets and backstreets, the girls walking together with strength in their numbers. Miku found herself relaxing a little as the few pedestrians they crossed paths with moved slightly out of their way. Finally, going behind a cluster of buildings, Lola led them to a set of dumpsters locked with simple combination padlocks. She grinned at her girls.

"Gimmie the key," The tall girl said, holding her hand out over her shoulder. One of the other girls passed a piece of cut-out aluminum soda can to the leader, which Lola used to slide into the locking mechanism and pick the lock with a smile of satisfaction at the "click" as she opened it. Pulling the dumpster top open, she gestured with her head to Miku.

"You're up. See if there's anything good," Lola explained. Miku blinked, a little appalled.

"You want me to go in the dumpster?" Miku didn't want to get her still-relatively-clean clothes dirty, and felt a little unhappy at the request. Plus, weren't they after breakfast? Was dumpster leftovers breakfast? Miku's imagination ran to half-eaten, slightly moldy cheeseburgers and fly-encrusted, slimy sandwich ends, and her stomach churned unpleasantly. Lola just laughed at her.

"Well, how else are you supposed to look? See if there's anything good," The older girl repeated herself. "And try not to step on anything we can use when you get in there."

Miku looked decidedly unhappy as she put her shopping bag carefully down, and was helped up into the dumpster by two of the other girls, mindful of where she put her feet so she could regain her balance. Miku blinked in surprise at what she saw.

Bananas. Lots and lots of bananas. With brown spots, but still perfectly good-looking. Miku gaped in disbelief, not even sure when the last time she'd had fruit was.

"There's bananas!" The teal-haired girl couldn't stop herself from exclaiming her find in excitement. The girls outside the dumpster laughed a little at her.

"Yeah, there's always bananas!" One of them laughed at her. Miku shook her head, astonished that someone would throw away perfectly good fruit, and she grabbed several bunches of them and passed them down to the girls waiting for her. Once the fruit was taken care of, Miku rooted around in the 'trash,' surprised again that there wasn't really anything pungently slimy or disgusting touching against her bare hands.

She found dented cans of food, packages of raw, ambient-temperature meat, vegetables in varying states of yellow, green, and dry or limp. Her mouth watered as she found a few leeks; the outside pieces a bit slimy, but when she stripped away the outside, the inside was still crisp and smelled so good. There were heads of lettuce, boxes of expired pasta, cereal, dated pastries, and a few loaves of bread, among other things. One by one, Miku passed whatever looked good over the side of the dumpster.

"Leave the meat; we can't afford to get sick," Lola decided after looking it over. "Sometimes it's okay to cook it anyways, but I don't like the look of these ones." Miku nodded and tossed the meat back inside the dumpster by her feet.

Some things were conspicuous in their absence: bags of chips, milk, soda. Miku's sharp teal eyes scanned for anything else that still looked like it would be good to use, and came up empty. "I think that's it," she announced, and was helped back out of the dumpster.

"I'm surprised; I'd think stuff like chips and milk would get thrown out before things like vegetables," Miku admitted to one of the other girls as she stepped back onto solid ground. The girl smiled at her.

"That's because of the vendors. When those things expire, the vendors come and take them, so they don't get thrown away," the simple explaination made Miku blink in surprise. Why would vendors go to that extra trouble? It must cost them more money to ship expired merchandise back to wherever home was. But she nodded; the other girl obviously knew more about grocery retail than she did.

"Anyways, this is a good haul. Everybody, carry some of it. This should do us for a little while, anyways," Lola gave out the orders, and the brightened faces of her girls quickly moved to do as she requested.

"After this, we'll go get water," Lola told Miku in a voice meant for everyone, and the girls nodded. "We've got some empties, and we fill them up with tap water. We used to try to use like, peoples' hoses and stuff, but there's problems with that, so nowadays we usually just go into like, gas stations or public restrooms to take care of it. It's not fancy, but it does us. You know?" The taller girl shared a smile with Miku; one that said gratitude to have the simplest, most important needs met.

Lola re-locked the dumpster behind them. "Leave no trace- rule number one," The taller girl stated, seriously, then smiled again to take the bite out of her words. Miku nodded; she wouldn't forget.

...

The day passed by. As the sun started to hang lower in the sky, the girl from yesterday nudged Miku. "Hey, it's almost 5:00. Are you going?"

"What's at 5:00?" The light violet-haired girl, Yukari, asked.

"Oh, Miku's boyfriend at the community kitchen," The girl smirked at Miku's blush and sweatdrop.

"Um, he's not... I mean, we're..." Miku stumbled over her words, embarrassed by the implication and how to correct the misunderstanding.

"Huh, so that's how it is, huh?" Yukari smiled. "That area's outside of our territory, though; did anyone tell you? You shouldn't be going there."

Miku nodded, slowly, feeling displeased and chafed by the sudden regulation. Wasn't she her own person? She could decide for herself what she could and couldn't do. Just because she was hanging out with the gang didn't mean they controlled her. Not that Kaito would be working tonight but... Miku didn't really want her actions controlled by this group of girls, either.

"Ah, come off it, Yukari. I think it'll be fine, as long as she doesn't cause a fuss," the other girl stood up for Miku, and Yukari frowned prettily. Miku nodded, grateful for the verbal backup.

"I'll be careful, don't worry, Yukari-san," Miku stated, trying to sound respectful, not wanting to be on bad terms with her newfound family. The lavender-haired girl frowned again, but nodded.

"It's still not a good idea, but... I understand what it's like to love someone, so good luck," The soft, almost grudging statement made Miku's teal eyes widen, then soften. But as she nodded and turned to leave for the soup kitchen, Yukari's words floated back to her mind. To love someone?

The memory of Kaito's warm arms holding her as Miku cried herself to sleep, the comforting scent of his clean laundry and bed... the kind smile that he gave to Miku that reached his blue eyes, when he looked at her... could it actually /be/ love? Miku cast her eyes down to the ground, her face conflicted and upset as she slowly walked towards the soup kitchen.


	10. Chapter 10

The soup kitchen was still friendly, but it lacked some of the warmth of yesterday without Kaito's smiling face there to greet her. Miku stood in line and quietly waited her turn for food. She wondered if it was okay to ask one of the volunteers whether Kaito would be back the next night, but decided against it at the last minute. A pink-haired girl smiled at her as she filled Miku's tray with a hot entree, and the teal-haired girl found herself salivating at the good smells.

Remembering Kaito's words from the previous night, Miku resolved to again try to get a bunk from the overnight shelter early on. There was no point in going back to the gang's hangout to sleep on cold, hard cement with newspapers as her blanket, if being a little proactive meant she might be able to snag a real bed once again. Miku ate her food slowly, savoring it. When the boss appeared to shoo everyone out, she followed her new routine, and went around the side of the building and up the stairs.

Laying claim to one of the freshly made beds, Miku breathed in the peaceful, soft scents of cheap fabric softener and clean laundry detergent. It was still too early to go to sleep, but she really had nothing else to do, and it was a nice feeling to just rest and close her eyes. Despite herself, the teal-haired girl fell asleep anyways.

...

Kaito was kissing her. Soft, soft lips that smelled like Kaito's bed, like Kaito's clothes, and tasted like vanilla milkshake. Miku's stomach felt full of sweet ice cream and milk, pleasantly, as she closed her eyes and pressed upwards into the kiss, seeking more.

Arms that held her gently tightened just a little bit, and the safety and warmth made the teal-haired girl feel like melting as she opened her lips, licking outwards, wanting more of the milkshake taste on her sated tongue. The feelings were heady, and she never wanted it to stop.

The skin under Kaito's shirt was smooth, soft, lightly muscled. It felt strong, safe, and Miku's fingers splayed out, possessively, as she thought to herself, 'This is mine. This is how things belong. Where /I/ belong. This feels, this is right. I want more. I want... more.'

Seeking lips turned demanding, and Miku pressed her hands harder against Kaito's warm chest, pushing him down, down onto the familiar bed in his apartment. She straddled his hips, feeling his legs beneath hers, feeling his breath against her breath, as she bent over once again, her hair falling forwards to brush against Kaito's, and combine teal with beautiful, beautiful blue.

Kaito opened his mouth against hers and snored loudly, jarringly, waking Miku from her deep sleep. She jerked in bed, her teal eyes opening wide in the near-darkness, as she got her bearings. Miku adjusted her legs slightly, her face in a horrified blush, as she realized her dream had been only that.

The feelings and tastes and scents had been so real. Miku settled back into her bed, her face still burning, as she replayed the images. Kaito's body... lips... mouth. They'd been so soft, so warm, so inviting... and solid. Real. The touches had felt so good. Miku adjusted her legs again, blushing harder. They had felt so good.

Glancing over, Miku peeked at the people in the beds to either side of her. Everyone was asleep, in varying states of snoring or quiet, rhythmic breathing. She dared greatly as she hid her face except for her eyes under the thin blanket, and reached her hand down to touch gently against her body. Imagining Kaito's touch from the dream, as her hand went lower, softly, lower, and touched against her warm, damp place.

Miku's blush faded as she squeezed her embarassed eyes shut, closing out the world and focusing only on the memory of her dream as she stroked herself softly, slipping her fingers inside her underwear to touch a little better. She held back her little sounds and gasps, rolling her hips only slightly, so that even in the semi-dark, no one would know for sure what she was doing.

The teal-haired girl squeezed her little nub slightly, and bit her own hand to muffle her noises as she rubbed lovingly in small circles. Slipping one finger in just past the opening, Miku's thoughts took a turn into the gutter as she imagined the dream continuing. Imagined Kaito being the one touching her... and not with only fingers, but with his tongue, with... Miku's blush returned and she struggled to control her ragged breathing as she touched against her clit again with her newly dampened fingers.

It felt like little shocks of pleasure, and the little shocks grew into greater shocks, until she couldn't stop from raising her hips up into the touches. It felt so good that Miku could feel twin teardrops raising up into her eyes as she desperately strove towards her orgasm. The image of Kaito's soft smile and clear, beautiful blue eyes flashed through her mind, and Miku shuddered, hard, creaming all over herself.

Panting quietly, Miku got up slowly, reluctant to move even a little bit, and made her way to the bathroom, cleaning up the mess she had made inside her damp panties. She blushed at herself again as she flushed the tissues, and looked at her face in the mirror. She looked happy, somehow. Satisfied.

"...Kaito..?" Miku whispered to herself. "Kaito..." The now familiar name felt good on her lips and tongue, and Miku looked down and away. Even if she liked him, they didn't have that kind of relationship. Not only that, but there were so many differences between the two of them. Miku sighed to herself and the little clenching at her heart as she thought that. She glanced at the mirror one more time, splashed some cold water over her face and dried it with her shirt, before going back to bed.

...

"Wake up, little jellybeans! It's time for a new day!" The jangling verbal alarm brought a chorus of groans that Miku was starting to consider normal as the start of her day. She stretched out her sore muscles and got to her feet, taking care not to leave her bag of clothes behind as she got into the bathroom line.

...

The day was bright already. The sun glared down, even though the morning air was still somewhat chilled. It was too early to go to the bank for lollipops, although Miku's mouth craved sweetness. She decided to check out the parking lots of local businesses for change that might have been dropped, instead of heading straight to the girls' hangout.

A few parking lots later, Miku had found several pennies and a couple larger coins, but not enough to actually buy anything with. She decided to try the grocery store's lot, and ended up passing by the library as she walked sedately along. Thinking for a moment, the teal-haired girl hopped up the steps and decided to check out the inside of the building.

It was huge, which wasn't that unexpected. It was quiet, and the temperature was very comfortable. There were bathrooms right next to the door, and Miku checked them out. They were spacious and clean. Miku locked herself in one of the stalls and changed her clothes.

Checking out the rows and rows of books, Miku noticed some computer desks with a little excitement. Some people were already at those stations, and Miku's curious eyes took in the fact that they were browsing internet pages. Miku's hunger for access to the technology was sharp, and she trepidly approached the information desk to ask whether there was anything she had to do in order to be allowed to use the service.

The answer was disappointing; the silver-haired, bosom lady at the desk was friendly, but explained that Miku needed a library card or photo ID in order to use the computers or check out books or movies. The lady told her that Miku's parents could set that all up for her, or Miku could simply provide proof of residence in the city, and pay a small fee for the card. Miku thanked the woman, and gazed at the computers for a longing moment, before moving on and looking through the many aisles of books.

There were chairs and tables throughout the library, including a few sparsely placed comfortable-looking chairs. Miku grabbed a book from the fiction section at random and sank into one of the comfy chairs. She flipped it open and started to read, losing track of time. She took a few breaks for water and toileting, and immersed herself in the story as she ignored her hungry stomach.

At long last, she closed the final page of the book, and stretched out again. The quiet and calm of the library was soothing and comforting, and Miku didn't really want to leave, but the kinks in her body from sitting still so long wanted to be worked out. The teal-haired girl stood up and replaced the book where she had found it, and she somewhat reluctantly left the library.


	11. Chapter 11

"Go and get me some change, Yohio," The manager stepped out of her office and directed her younger employee. Kaito glanced up from his station in curiousity as the blonde-haired coworker's head shot up in what seemed like alarm.

"Boss... uh, I'm not, feeling too well, and..." Yohio trailed off as their boss frowned. He gulped. "It's just, I don't have a car, and..."

"Listen, Yohio, you're the only one of my employees who never runs an errand for me. It's your turn. Suck it up and get it done," The short-haired brunette crossed her arms over her red blouse, bringing attention to her measurable assets as she frowned more deeply.

"Uh, but-" Yohio tried one more time, his voice a little bit desperate.

"If you're that scared to go on your own, then take Kaito with you," The manager said testily, as if to show her impatience with having to baby the younger man's sudden nervousness.

Kaito jerked at the sound of his name, somewhat dismayed. It was almost his break time; if he went with Yohio to the bank, it would take up the entire break. But the look on Yohio's face made Kaito sigh inwardly. He put a smile on his face and clapped his blonde coworker on the shoulder amiably.

"Don't worry, it's not that far of a walk, I've done it a bunch of times. I'll show you the way, okay?" Kaito tried to comfort the worried look on his younger coworker's face. Yohio seemed very uncomfortable but nodded after a moment, a frown still creasing his young face.

"Make sure to get quarters and dimes," The manager ordered. Kaito nodded, filled out the appropriate form, and straightened back up once he'd put the cash money they'd be exchanging for rolled coins into the front pocket of his store apron.

"Ready?" Kaito smiled again at the unhappy blonde male. Yohio's look was still one of concern, but he nodded, and the two workers headed towards the front exit together.

"So, how come you're so nervous?" Kaito couldn't help himself from asking as the two walked briskly down the road towards the bank. The younger blonde's shoulders were tensed up and his eyes kept darting back and forth around him. "You're normally so collected at work. What's up?"

"No... it's just," Yohio hesitated, then came clean, "This is Punk Raven territory. I'm not supposed to be walking around in this area."

"Punk Raven territory? What is that? A gang?" Kaito asked, frowning a little.

"Yeah, they sort of own this part of the city. A while back, some of my buddies and I got... well, we kind of got into some trouble with them. I guess you could say we're kind of rivals. It'd be bad if I got caught in their territory," Yohio replied anxiously.

"Well, we're almost to the bank," Kaito responded after a moment, wondering what the story behind that explanation was. "Then we'll be back to the store in no time. I'll see what I can do to keep you out of runs to the bank from now on, okay?"

Yohio nodded, then returned his attention to his surroundings.

"...and five rolls of quarters. Is that all you needed today?" The green-haired female bank teller smiled at the two coworkers as Yohio tucked the heavy rolls of change into his apron and smiled back, shaking his head.

"No, that's all. Thanks, Gumi," The blonde male said, after checking out her name tag. Kaito grinned to himself inwardly; Yohio wasn't obvious at all.

Gumi flashed her bright smile again, and said, "Okay, then! Thanks, and have a nice day!"

Yohio's starstruck look returned to its anxious expression once again as he and Kaito stepped out of the bank together. His steps were quicker this time, just wanting to get the errand over with. Kaito lengthened his stride to keep up with the younger blonde, and almost bowled into him when Yohio suddenly stopped short.

"Well, well, what have we here? And what are you doing in these parts?" A lovely feminine voice drawled. Kaito looked around Yohio's tensed body to pick out the light purple-haired girl who was speaking. He noticed four other girls hovering near her shoulders. Kaito's eyes returned to Yohio as he audibly swallowed.

"You know you're not allowed in here. Are you fringing on our territory again?" The unfriendly accusation was followed by the girls stepping forward as one group. Yohio stepped back half a pace, putting his hands out in front of him.

"N-no, nothing like that. I just had to run an errand, I'm leaving right now," The blonde male stuttered. Kaito warily watched the group of advancing girls blocking their way.

"You know better than to think that kind of stupid excuse will get you out of this. I think maybe you need a thrashing, a sound, sound spanking to 'remind' you of the fact that you and your dumb little gang are not allowed on our turf," The lavender-haired girl growled. "If we let you go without teaching you a lesson, it's like an invitation for people to step all over us, you know?"

"Just let us go," Kaito demanded, his eyes darting back and forth from girl to girl. "He's telling the truth; we're just here because of our boss."

"Is that so?" The airy question was followed by a deep frown as the lavender-haired girl grabbed a handful of Kaito's shining blue locks and wrenched his head painfully down and to one side. Kaito yelped and tried to jerk back, but the girl was stronger than she looked. "What are you, a new recruit to that stupid wanna-be gang? You don't seem so tough to me; maybe a lesson will teach you to respect your superiors."

The other girls laughed amongst themselves and the lavender-haired girl smirked, tracing Kaito's jawline with one slender fingertip.

"It's almost a shame to bloody up this pretty face," The girl mused with a hard glint to her eyes. "But, somehow I'll manage to survive."

Kaito's blue eyes widened as the girl raised her fist in the air. He flinched backwards.

"Stop it! Stop!" A familiar voice shouted out and Kaito heard the pelting sound of running footsteps coming towards him. "Yukari!"

Kaito turned his wide eyes over his shoulder as a pair of teal twintails popped into view. Miku caught her breath, a look of outrage and concern on her face as she met Kaito's eyes only briefly, then turned to stare down the lavender-haired girl.

"Let him go!" Miku repeated to Yukari demandingly.

"And why should I do that? These two punks invaded our territory. We don't allow rival gangs to do as they please on our turf. You should learn that, right now," Yukari scowled at Miku, displeased.

"Kaito's not in a rival gang! He's a good person. Let him go!" Miku said again. Yukari's eyes narrowed, and Miku hesitated, then blurted out, "He's... he's my boyfriend!"

Yukari let Kaito's hair go and he stepped back, his eyes going from Miku to Yukari in an almost comical fashion. Yukari tilted her head back and laughed a little. She looked Kaito up and down critically.

"Really. This guy? This guy is your boyfriend? Yeah, I don't think so, Miku," Yukari said after a moment of dark amusement. "He's with /this/ damn punk. They're both about to get their appropriate punishment. Don't try to save the day for them just because you feel sorry for their worthless asses."

"You're wrong. He's... he's really my boyfriend. I won't forgive you if you hurt him, Yukari," Miku's voice was low as she stepped closer to Kaito, as if her slight body could somehow protect him from the number of girls that were following Yukari's lead right now.

"Miku?" Kaito's soft voice asked. Miku gave Kaito a sharp, warning glance to be quiet, and he shut his mouth as he looked back over at Yukari.

"Is... that... so?" Yukari's eyes narrowed, then she shrugged and smiled again, deceptively calm. "If that's really the case, then prove it, Miku."

Miku tensed. Gritting her teeth, she spun around and grabbed Kaito's jaw, pulling him downwards in a quick motion. The surprised bluenette didn't have any time to react before Miku pressed her lips hard against his. Kaito's already wide eyes widened further as Miku wrapped her fingers in his soft hair and kissed him for a long moment.

Letting Kaito go, Miku shot a poisonous glare at Yukari. "Satisfied?"

Yukari was looking at Kaito, and suddenly let out a little laugh. She shook her head as if deeply entertained. Miku looked over at Kaito. His dumbfounded face was blushing a bright, bright red and he was hiding his mouth and part of his face with one of his hands, staring at Miku with utter surprise. Miku sweatdropped.

"L-let's go," Miku said, and tugged on Kaito's sleeve. She could still feel a light tingling sensation on her lips where she had kissed Kaito. Kissed him. For real this time. Not in a dream. For real. His lips had been soft. Warm. Miku's own face started to blush in accompainment to Kaito's.

"Wait," Kaito resisted the teal-haired girl's tugging request. "Please. Yohio really didn't do anything wrong. We can't just leave him here. He didn't even want to come; our manager made him, and me, to get change from the bank. It's not his fault. We can't just leave him here to get hurt."

One of the girls behind Yukari literally facepalmed at Kaito's stupidity as he admitted that they were carrying money. Yukari's eyes lit up, and her smile widened.

"Aww, he's so thoughtful. Isn't he thoughtful, girls?" Yukari asked quietly. "I'll tell you what... Kaito, is it? As a personal favor to Miku, I'll let you /both/ go. This time. But if I catch /you/," her gaze turned to Yohio, "on our territory again, it'll be a much, much worse punishment for you than it would have been today.

"You won't get another warning. If your boss sends you our way again, you'd better just look for another job, unless you want serious damage. And... we'll take that change of yours, as a safe-crossing toll, this time around. It's a one-time deal. Thoughtful of us, isn't it? Hand it over. Now."

Yohio glanced at Kaito, and swallowed hard. He pulled the rolls of coins out of his apron and handed them over slowly. Yukari grinned triumphantly and stuffed them in her own pockets, then backed away two steps to allow a close passage to the two coworkers and Miku.

The teal-haired girl nodded to Yukari as they started to walk past.

"Miku, wait a minute," Yukari said shortly. Miku paused, a wary look on her face, as Yukari dug around in her pocket and slipped something into Miku's palm. Miku looked down at it and re-closed her fist instantly, blushing, hiding it from Kaito.

"Good luck!" Yukari grinned, and slapped Miku on the shoulder. Miku nodded wordlessly, stowed the item in her own pocket in embarassment, and returned to Kaito's side, to walk him and Yohio back to their job.

"Thanks, Miku," Kaito finally let go the deep breath he had been holding as the girls disappeared from view, but he frowned slightly as he turned to his teal-haired friend. "But, how do you know those girls?"

"Isn't it obvious? She's one of them," Yohio muttered, then jerked backwards as Miku's sharp eyes glared daggers at him. "Um, but... thanks, for sticking up for me. I don't know if I can repay you, but-"

"Just don't come back onto Punk Raven territory and don't get Kaito in trouble," Miku stated flatly, not feeling too kindly towards the blonde male. Yohio sweatdropped and nodded his head shortly.

"Miku..?" Kaito asked, his voice uncertain.

"I'll... I'll tell you all about it. It's kind of a long story, but, they're really not bad girls. But... maybe I should walk you home tonight. Just to be on the safe side. I think Yukari will keep her word, but just in case anyone else changes their mind..." Miku trailed off, not needing to finish the line of thought aloud. Kaito blanched and nodded.

"Thanks," Kaito said, and Miku glanced back up at his face. He was still blushing a little and refused to meet her eyes. Was he self-conscious about the kiss? Was he embarrassed? It didn't seem like he didn't like it at the time, though... Miku thought to herself silently as they continued to walk and reached their destination.

"No problem, Kaito," Miku said softly. "You would have done it for me."

At that Kaito glanced back down at her, and his eyes softened, even though his blush continued across his face.

"Yeah," The bluenette agreed, and returned his gaze forward. But when Miku's small hand found his larger hand, he gently squeezed it and allowed the continuing warmth between the two of them as they walked the rest of the way to the convenience store's front door, hand in hand.


	12. Chapter 12

Kaito sighed and hung up his apron. It had turned out to be such a long day. His blue eyes picked out Miku's teal twintails hovering outside the store's front glass windows, and he smiled a little bit as he hurried to clock out and join her.

"Hey," Miku greeted. "How'd everything go?"

"Ah, yeah. Well, the manager wasn't too happy. We had to talk to the police about the theft of the change," Kaito related, remembering the unfriendly faces of the sour, barking officers with some displeasure.

"Did you tell them anyone's names?" Miku asked quietly. Kaito shook his head.

"No, both of us just said we didn't know who the robbers were, just that they were some girls from the street. The police thought it was funny or something, that we got robbed by a bunch of girls, but..." Kaito trailed off, frowning. It hadn't been very professional; the sly, insulting remarks the local police had worked into their questions to the two employees. Kaito shook his head again, trying to clear it of the negative thoughts.

"That's good," Miku said as she accompanied Kaito, strolling down the street towards the goal of his apartment. She glanced at his hand, wondering if he'd let her hold it again, if she tried, but she couldn't pass it off this time as simply comforting Kaito, if he asked about it, so she turned her eyes back forwards and simply enjoyed his quiet company.

"I'm really sorry you had to walk me home tonight, but I appreciate it, Miku. I know the timing of my shift ending means you're missing the community kitchen's dinner," Kaito softly said. "Do you want to come in? We could have dinner together. I feel like that's the least I can do to thank you for helping me out today. It won't be anything fancy, but I've got /some/ groceries at home."

Miku smiled warmly up at Kaito and nodded her head. She backed away when they reached the apartment building and Kaito fumbled with the keys to open the door. They climbed the stairs and Kaito let himself and his company into the familiar apartment.

"Do you want some help making dinner?" Miku asked as she put her plastic shopping bag with its change of clothes down inside of the door. Kaito grinned quirkily at her.

"Giving me a hard time already?" He teased and got a little laugh for his trouble. "It's fine by me, as long as you don't mind your host putting you to work on kitchen duty."

Miku grinned back as she followed him into the kitchen. "If it means dinner will be edible, I'm willing to make that sacrifice."

Kaito's dismayed expression was hilarious as he exclaimed, "My cooking's not THAT bad! Just for that, you can do the prep work."

Miku's laugh tinkled through the apartment as she rolled her teal eyes and said in deadpan, "Oh, no. Anything but prep work."

Kaito grinned back and stuck his tongue out at the teal-haired girl, then tossed her a spring onion. Miku caught it in one hand and twirled it for a moment. Kaito pulled out carrots, a small package of meat, oil, and some seasonings and set them on the counter near the sink.

"I'm thinking stir-fry with rice. Sound okay?" The bluenette asked. "I'll handle the rice, you wash the vegetables; slice them thinly, and we'll get started."

Miku nodded again and partnered up with Kaito to get the ingredients ready. When the rice was boiling and the veggies were sliced, Kaito added some oil and the meat to the pan. The sizzling sound and scent of the cooking meat made Miku's mouth salivate and her stomach rumble, earning her a sideways glance and another grin from the bluenette.

...

"Mmmmm, that was good," Miku sighed happily and rubbed her stomach as she and Kaito sat cross-legged on his bed. She put her plate to the side, and Kaito followed suit, looking happy with his own comfortably full belly. Miku's eyes watched the small movements of his arm muscle as Kaito balanced his plate on top of hers. He met her eyes and smiled.

"Don't worry, I promise I'll wash them," Kaito preempted. Miku's eyes sparkled in amusement as they watched the play of his lips. Kaito reached his arms high over his head and stretched upwards. Miku watched his body move.

It was comfortable. The scents of Kaito and clean laundry soap. The lingering good scents of hot, freshly made food. The soft bed under Miku's bottom and legs. Her mind drifted pleasantly as she took a deep, calm breath inwards, and thought to herself, 'This feels good.'

Miku's eyes trailed along the bedspread, remembering the last time she had been in this room. Remembering the feeling of sleeping next to Kaito, and the solid feeling of security and warmth. She averted her eyes quickly as other memories followed hot on the heels of those memories. Of the dream she had had. Of Kaito's soft, good-tasting lips kissing hers. Of the not-dream of her lips kissing Kaito's.

Of Yukari, palming the condom to her as she walked by with Kaito, and whispering, "Good luck."

Miku's face flushed and she dared to glance back up over at Kaito's blue eyes. What would Kaito do right now if she were to kiss him again? If she were to do more than... just kiss him? Would he let her? Did he... did he like her back? The memory of him holding her hand earlier that day flashed in her mind. It's true he was older than she was, but not really by that much. And it was true that they were very, very different... their situations... but...

Kaito's blue eyes were far away, thinking about something. He noticed her gaze after a moment and blushed shortly, but then smiled, still friendly, but also somehow awkward suddenly. "Ah... sorry, Miku, I was just thinking about the time. I'm a little worried that the beds at the shelter might be claimed by now. I kept you longer than I thought I would. I'm a little worried about it. I already inconvenienced you a lot today."

"Oh," Miku exclaimed, and glanced at the clock with a sinking feeling in her warm, full belly. "Uh... I guess... I should go now, then, to find out." Miku hated the note of unhappiness she could hear in her own voice, but thinking about leaving Kaito's apartment and company didn't feel good. And the bluenette was right; at this point, she'd probably be too late, anyways.

It was likely going to be a night on the cold, hard ground, and Miku was dreading it after a few days of being able to sleep in a real bed under a real roof, with real blankets to keep her safe and warm. She turned her eyes downwards and stared at the bed as she steeled herself to get up.

"Um, you could... uh, stay here again," Kaito's voice offered a little trepidly, as if concerned that she would react badly to the words. "I mean- not that you have to! I just... umm..."

Miku raised her eyes and met Kaito's blue gaze, trying to figure something out as she stared at him, not quite certain what it was she was looking for exactly. Kaito began to grow visibly more flustered as she simply stared him down and didn't say anything, and he started to fidget uncomfortably, wondering how to fix the situation and regain the comfortable atmosphere of a few moments ago.

'His eyes really are pretty. His whole face is. He's beautiful,' Miku thought to herself as her eyes scanned Kaito's. 'His jawline, his voice, his mouth. I feel safe with him. He doesn't judge me as being 'less than' anybody else. He's... he's a good person. It's no wonder that I like him. What would you do, Kaito? If I reached out and touched you, right now?'

Without realizing that her hand was responding to her thoughts, Miku raised her arm and touched the bluenette's cheek. Kaito's eyes blinked and he jolted a little, but didn't pull away as Miku cupped his cheek in her small hand and brought her face closer to his, still studying his eyes intently with a serious expression on her face.

"Um... Miku.. What are... you doing?" Kaito asked, a little nervous that she was going to suddenly get mad at him. His eyes widened as she suddenly brought her face the rest of the way to his and pressed her small, soft lips against his mouth, giving him a long, unexpected kiss. Kaito froze in place, eyes wide open, his cheeks flushing a shocked bright red.

Miku pulled away slightly and stared at Kaito with partially lidded teal eyes. Kaito's body regained its ability to move and his hands landed on her shoulders and pulled her away slightly as he stared at her with wide eyes. Kaito's eyes then narrowed slightly as a complicated, almost ashamed expression of comprehension passed over his face.

"Miku, wait. Please. You... listen. You don't have to do this. You don't owe me anything, and I'm... I'm not like that. I'm older than you. You don't have to force yourself to do something like this with me. You can stay, but, you don't have to do this kind of thing," Kaito said, looking a little upset, looking guilty.

Miku's eyes softened at Kaito's words. She shook her head. "You're wrong, Kaito. I know you're older than me, but... it's only by a few years... and I'm /not/ doing anything I don't want to. Is it okay? I... like you. If it's not okay, stop me. Say something, or push me away. I... I want to."

The teal-haired girl pulled Kaito's arms gently off of her shoulders and leaned forward again, pushing her hands against the bluenette's own shoulders, pushing him down little by little to lay on top of the bed covers. She hovered her face over his face, met his questioning, mildly alarmed eyes with her own calm, unflinching ones, shimmied her body on top of his, and bent over his face, pressing her lips back against his again. Her twintails brushed gently against the sides of Kaito's face as she opened her lips slightly and licked against the flavor of his lips, seeking entrance to his slack mouth.

Miku felt her eyes fluttering closed. The tastes were different, but the feelings, the sensations of Kaito underneath her, of his lips against her lips, were so much like the dream. The scents of Kaito and his bed were the scents from the dream. It didn't feel frightening or alarming. It felt... right.

Miku gave herself over to her fantasy as she trailed her hands down his clothed torso and snuck her curious fingers under the bottom hem of his shirt, touching against Kaito's soft, toned belly as she slowly pushed the fabric upwards until she could pull it up over his head. Despite Kaito's wide eyes, he didn't resist her, and let her take the shirt off. Miku's fingers felt against his naked chest, reveling in the soft feeling of muscle along the bluenette's slim torso.

She bent her head again and kissed against his collar bone, earning a slight shiver that Miku thought had nothing to do with the temperature of the room. She trailed little kisses down the front of Kaito's chest, taking a few experimental little licks as she continued to straddle him. She glanced upwards and took in the sight of the intense blush on his uncertain face.

"Kaito," Miku said very softly. His eyes locked with hers, and she smiled slightly. "I really... I like you, Kaito. Is it okay for me to do this to you? Is it okay for me to touch you?"

Miku watched Kaito's throat as he swallowed before answering her.

"I... um... I don't have..." The bluenette averted his gaze as his blush intensified. Miku felt a thrill of conquest through her body as she pulled the item Yukari had given her from her pocket in answer.

"One of these?" she smiled, excited from feeling a little naughty with the item in her hand. Kaito's blue eyes snapped to the condom and he hid his face with his hands. After a moment, he nodded and cleared his throat, but no words came out.

"Look at me. Kaito," Miku demanded quietly. Kaito peeked through his fingers, then slowly dropped his hands from his burning face as Miku grabbed them and put them on the bottom hem of her own blouse, gently closing his fingers, and moving his hands with her own to pull her top off. Kaito's blush softened as he looked at her body.

Miku fought a pink blush of her own at the frank gaze, but she grabbed one of Kaito's hands again and kissed gently against its palm, then put her own soft cheek against it, rubbing. She released her hand, and reached for Kaito's other hand, guiding it to her own small, charming breasts, giving him permission to touch there. She smiled a little, encouraged, when the bluenette swallowed again as his fingers touched against her small chest.

"Do you want me to take a shower first?" Miku asked hesitantly. Kaito's blue eyes flew from her breast under his hand to her face. His smile was soft as he shook his head.

"No, it's... it's okay. You're not dirty," The bluenette explained. Miku's heart melted a little bit from the words and she smiled back at him, feeling warm and happy. She leaned over him again, pressing her body against him, seeking skinship. Her lips found his, once again, and demanded entrance into his warm mouth.

Miku rocked back and forth slightly, the desire in her body to be closer overriding her shame at grinding her body against Kaito's. She could feel his slight bulge beneath her growing as she moved her hands up and down Kaito's torso, as she moved her lips and tongue inside of Kaito's wonderful mouth. It felt good. It felt really, really good. But she wanted more than this, and Miku pulled back reluctantly, keeping her eyes on Kaito's eyes as she touched against the front of his pants and found the zipper.

Kaito helped her slide his bottoms and underwear off, and Miku took in the sight of his erection with slightly widened eyes. She touched against it with her fingertips, and it twitched slightly. Kaito blushed self-consciously when she glanced up at him to see his reaction. Reassured, Miku wrapped her small hand around the length and felt it move under her palm as she stroked it slowly, curiously.

Moving her head forwards, Miku kissed Kaito's cock, opened her mouth, and licked against it, wanting to taste the flavor of Kaito's skin there.

"Aah... nnn," Kaito made soft noises that made Miku smile to herself, emboldened. She tried placing the tip of his cock inside her mouth, sucking lightly as she wet it with her saliva. Kaito's hips shivered and he made another wonderful little sound as she tried to push more and more of his erect member past her lips.

"M-Miku..!" Kaito said through a ragged breath, and the teal-haired girl paused in what she was doing, pulling away with a soft sound as she lifted her head again to smile reassuringly up at the bluenette. Kaito stared back at her with intense blue eyes that seemed to be begging her for something. That seemed to be a little foggy; needy somehow.

"I... like you," Miku replied, once again, and rose to her knees, bending slightly and removing her own skirt. A subtle, girlish scent rose to her nose as she pulled her underwear down over her knees, then kicked them off. She blushed to herself as she recognized the scent, and wondered if Kaito could smell it, too.

Reaching for the condom, Miku tore the package open and positioned the condom against Kaito's cock, rolling it downwards smoothly. Wiping the greasy, slimy feel of the lubricant on her fingers off against her outer thigh, Miku crawled up Kaito's body again, where he lay prone on the bed, watching her with wide blue eyes.

Kissing the bluenette again briefly and gently, Miku lifted her body again and stared down at Kaito's face as she straddled him, positioned herself as best as she could, and held Kaito's member in place as she started to lower her tight little body onto him. The expression on Kaito's face and his quiet intake of air nearly took her breath away as he began to enter her body. It looked like longing, and pleasure, and need.

Against her will, Miku's own eyes fluttered closed as she slowly seated herself fully. The pressure in her lower body was intense, and her insides were craving the sensation. Her heart was racing in her chest as she sat her bottom down fully on Kaito's thighs and rocked back and forth slightly. The tiny movements were enough to send sparks up into her stomach and Miku cried out slightly as she squirmed on top of Kaito's cock.

The bluenette's hands raised themselves to her slim hips as Kaito's eyes begged her to move, and his beautiful lips opened, "Miku, please..."

Bending over to kiss Kaito again brought a new angle to the penetration, and Miku almost moaned into his mouth. She pulled back and tried to move a little bit, experimenting with angle and depth as she slid Kaito in and out of her body, the feeling of tightness, of fullness, of pleasure, overriding her senses as the scent in the room; Kaito's scent; mixed with her own.

"Aaah," Miku cried out as a particular angle hit something that felt wonderful inside of her. Her lower stomach was clenching deeply inside with a wonderful sort of muscle tension that caused her thighs to shake slightly. Trying to reach that spot again, Miku raised up and pushed back down at the same angle.

"Oh... oh my god. Kaito... Kaito!" Miku raised her hands to cover her face as she continued to ride the bluenette. Kaito reached for her, pulling her body downwards as he bucked his hips up to meet her movements, wringing out more cries from her lips. He wrapped his hands around Miku's hips to help her, to help them both, as she started to ride him harder, faster, aiming for that good spot again and again. Kaito felt her legs shake on top of him and her insides clench even tighter against his manhood as he groaned out a long, low cry of his own and raised his torso up to hug her bodily against him as he pushed deeply inside.

"T-that feels-" Miku gasped, losing her words as she felt Kaito's soft blue hair tickling against her neck. He pressed his face against her neck and held her closely as she kept moving rhythmically, wonderfully, on top of him. "Kaito. Kaito! Kaito! Yes, /please/!"

"Miku, please. Don't stop," The bluenette replied, his words muffled against her soft skin as his expression trembled in pleasure and passion. "That feels /so/ good, please. Miku..."

"Ahhh!" Miku called out suddenly, feeling the tightness inside of her suddenly start to throb and shake. She held on to Kaito's body desperately, helpless as her orgasm washed over her. She stopped moving as her insides clenched rhythmically, trying to milk Kaito's cock as she came. The movement from below her as Kaito sought to reach his own orgasm cut through her haze of pleasure, and Miku pushed Kaito away, her hands on his chest, regaining control of the situation.

"Miku, please!" The desperate request from the bluenette underneath her was answered instantly, as Miku pulled her hips upwards once again and pushed Kaito back inside of her body hard. Moving faster, the sound of slapping flesh and soft, needy moans from Kaito echoed in the quiet apartment as Miku rode the coattails of her orgasm in search of a second.

"Yes. Yes. Kaito... Kaito," Miku chanted breathlessly, longingly as she felt him squeezed, again and again, pushing up inside of her. He didn't try to take control of the situation again, but his hands were wrapped up in blanket, clutching it like a lifeline, and his thighs were tense and beginning to quake. The light sheen of sweat on his body was slightly slippery underneath Miku's hands commanding his chest and stomach.

Kaito leaned his head backwards against the pillow and let out a long, deep moan as he felt his balls tense up. Miku's thighs were shaking against his thighs, her rhythm was too much, the pressure, the heat, the slick feeling of her insides, and the look on her face of desire and intense pleasure was just too much. Kaito cried out as his body shook and he ejaculated deeply inside, his sperm being caught by the condom.

Miku felt the strong pulsing of Kaito's orgasm inside of her, and it was enough, it was just enough. She raised her own face to the sky and cried out along with him as her muscles spasmed again. She came hard around Kaito's cock as he finished cumming inside of her. The teal-haired girl sat still like that, quivering slightly on top of Kaito's lap, for a few moments, before awkwardly removing herself with rubbery legs and laying down next to the bluenette, trying to catch her breath.

Shaky, wide, pleasured teal eyes met equally satisfied and wide prussian blue eyes. Kaito opened his arms a little bit, and Miku stared at him for a short moment, before closing her eyes and wiggling into his arms to cuddle naked against his warm, slightly sweaty body.

"You'll stay, right?" Kaito asked very quietly as his arms surrounded Miku, feeling her warmth, her smooth skin, her rapid heartbeat. Feeling her long hair tickling against his naked chest. 'Don't leave,' He thought to himself hopefully, aching in a way that was unfamiliar to him as he continued to breath her scent in.

Miku smiled against Kaito's chest, and the feeling of her eyelashes opening against his skin was a little like a soft butterfly landing on him.

"...Yeah. I'll stay," Miku replied equally softly, before smiling again and adding, "Kaito? ...You forgot to wash the dishes, you know."

Kaito grinned and hugged her closer, burying his face against her hair and closing his eyes peacefully, his voice almost dreamy in quality as he whispered one last comeback that caused her to smile even wider against his skin and close her eyes quietly.

"Miku..? ...I... I... like you too, Miku."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *facepalms* Sorry for this crappy ending, but
> 
> I was so sick of this fic by this final chapter, I almost just abandoned it and didn't finish it at all. So, crappy ending maybe is better than zero ending. All the same. Some people really liked this ending. I was not one of them lol
> 
> Vanilla, het sex with zero kink is so far out of my comfort range. I'm not really sure what I was thinking to attempt this. .-. Hope you don't detest it or barf up rainbows and unicorns. At least it's done now. You get a cookie for suffering through it until the very end. .-.
> 
> THE END! /celebrates Dx
> 
> fuckyea /leaves forever xD


End file.
